Saudi to release 19 Pinoys arrested at Halloween party

Saudi Arabia has agreed to release the 19 Filipino workers who were arrested during a raid at a Halloween party in Riyadh last Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The DFA did not provide details but said Saudi authorities will turn over custody of the Filipinos to the Philippine Embassy.

According to the embassy, the workers were arrested on Friday in a raid on a compound after neighbors complained of loud noise from the party.

They were being held at the Al Nisa Jail in Riyadh.

Saudi laws strictly prohibit unattached males and females from being seen together in public.

Organizers of the party have been charged for holding an event without permit and for disturbing the neighborhood.

The DFA reminded Filipinos overseas, particularly those in the Middle East, "to be mindful of local sensitivities." — LDF, GMA News