Swedish Defence Minister calls Saudi Arabia a dictatorship

STOCKHOLM (AFP) — Sweden's defence minister on Monday called Saudi Arabia a dictatorship, five months after her predecessor resigned amid controversy over Swedish plans to help the country build an arms factory.

"Saudi Arabia is an authoritarian regime and an absolute monarchy, where serious human rights crimes are committed," Defence Minister Karin Enstroem wrote in an email to Swedish news agency TT, a copy of which was given to AFP.

"The (Swedish) government does not qualify countries as democracies or dictatorships, but if the only choices to describe Saudi Arabia are as a democracy or dictatorship, then Saudi Arabia has to be described as a dictatorship," she wrote.

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