The Liberal government is facing harsh criticism over a closed-door meeting between the foreign affairs minister and the president of Saudi Arabia’s human rights commission — a group that has signed off on executions in the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Journalists were not allowed to attend the meeting between Stephane Dion and Bandar Bin Mohammed Al-Aiban at Global Affairs headquarters in Ottawa, so little is known about the content of the discussions. However, Dion said he would pressure Saudi Arabia to release a blogger jailed over insults to Islam.