DFA: All OFWs jailed for worship in KSA released

One week after they were rounded up, all 12 overseas Filipino workers arrested for taking part in a religious ceremony in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have been released from police custody, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday. Philippine officials in Riyadh said only the OFWs’ employers could issue a guarantee to facilitate the workers' release from police custody. "Unlike in the Philippines, under Saudi law, the guarantors could only be the employers of the accused alien employee since it is the employer who sponsors the iqama (work permit/visa) of the employees," Philippine Charges d'Affairs (CDA) Ezzedin Tago said in an article on the Department of Foreign Affairs website Saturday. Citing data from the Philippine Embassy, the DFA said the last of the 12 OFWs was released to the custody of his employer on October 3, after Embassy representatives negotiated with his employer. The Filipino was among the 12 OFWs who were arrested with a French priest as they allegedly held a Mass in a estiraha (a place for special occasions) in the Nadeem District on October 1. On October 2, the 11 OFWs were temporarily released to their employers until they are to appear at court to answer the charges. Tago said the case is still being investigated by the Prosecutor's Office, and the Embassy is closely monitoring it. Conducting religious activities of other faiths other than Islam is strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia. — LBG, GMANews.TV