Bahrain Mirror: The Canadian Globe and Mail newspaper said in its Thursday Editorial that Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has launched an investigation into Saudi forces' use of Canadian-made light-armoured vehicles against Saudi citizens in Awamiyah in Saudi Arabia's eastern region of al-Qatif, noting that the revelation has jeopardized a $15-billion deal to buy new LAVs from a Canadian company, since it undermines the Saudis' assurances that they won't turn the fresh weaponry on their own people.

On Wednesday, the Saudi Embassy in Ottawa tried to justify the use of combat vehicles on its citizens as a defensive action similar to the gunning down of the self-radicalized loner who shot and killed a Canadian soldier in Ottawa on Oct. 22, 2014, and then attempted to force his way into Parliament.

"Canadian authorities did fight the attacker and killed him on the spot to protect Canadian civilians," reads a statement from the Saudi embassy in Ottawa. "Fighting terrorism and protecting innocent civilians are not human-rights violations."

The Globe denounced the Saudi Embassy's statement, stressing "We agree. We just don't see how that relates to al-Qatif, where the Saudi government has used brute force to remove thousands of people from an ancient Shia village called Awamiya, with the intention of razing it."

Concluding its editorial, The Globe said, "It's helpful, though, that Riyadh has effectively admitted using Canadian-made LAVs against its own people. That will make Ms. Freeland's investigation a little simpler."

Arabic Version