Saudi king orders release of 17 political prisoners
Saudi Arabia will this week free 17 political prisoners from the Ismaili community, sources said on Monday, in a new sign of easing tensions with the minority group living near the border with Yemen.
King Abdullah has ordered the release of the predominantly young Ismailis about six months before the end of their 10-year jail sentence as part of a broader royal pardon for hundreds of inmates in the kingdom at the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the sources said. (Reuters)
