Saudi authorities have freed 69 people, including Filipinos, arrested during a ‘gay pageant' in Riyadh on June 12, an official from the Philippine embassy there said on Wednesday. Vice Consul Roussel Reyes did not say how many of the 69 people held by the Saudi police were Filipinos but said they were arrested during a raid while holding the pageant in a private villa in Riyadh. They were released after three days, Reyes told the Saudi Gazette in a telephone interview from his office in Riyadh. The Philippine official said the arresting officers caught the Filipinos wearing wigs and women's dresses. Reyes expressed concern that none of the arrested Filipinos have sought the help of the embassy until Wednesday. He said Saudi authorities notified the embassy about the arrest on Tuesday. Reyes warned Filipinos not to violate Saudi laws and to respect local traditions to avoid getting into trouble. Those arrested, he said, are blacklisted by the Saudi immigration and could not leave the Kingdom until their cases could have been resolved. “They have been released from jail but they can't leave the Kingdom now that their case has been forwarded to the court,” he said in the interview. They could also be barred from going back to the Kingdom after they are deported, officials said. Reyes did not say what charges were filed against the arrested Filipinos but said it could be “immorality.” Reyes said he has been contacting the Saudi authorities to find out the date of hearing of the Filipinos' case to enable the embassy to coordinate with them. He advised Filipinos not to engage in any illegal activities because “as guests of this country we have to respect their law” and traditions.
