The Human Rights Council opened its 49th session in Geneva, on February 28, which will run until April 4, 2022. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, in her opening remarks to the session, noted that the coronavirus pandemic, growing arrogance, environmental harm, digital disinformation, hate and distortion of democracy and disregard for the law have made Many societies mire further in oppression and violence.
Bachelet considered that states must maintain the obligations agreed upon under international human rights law, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For years, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights has documented Saudi Arabia's violation of its own international obligations, including the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The High Commissioner called on states to work to end conflicts and respect laws, as well as work to eliminate discrimination that hinders people's exercise of all kinds of rights, to enable individuals to participate in decision-making, and to fight corruption. For years, Saudi Arabia has been waging a war on Yemen and has practiced severe violence in this war, which led to its inclusion on the blacklist for several years because of its responsibility for killing children. In addition, Saudi Arabia uses weapons and force against citizens at home, which has led to dozens of deaths over the past years.
According to the documentation of the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, the Saudi government continues to threaten the lives of dozens of people with death on charges related to the exercise of legitimate rights, and it is still threatening minors with death in light of the lack of fair trials. In addition, the Saudi government continues to arrest activists and human rights defenders, and continues to practice violence in prisons.
While the High Commissioner stressed the importance of continuing to defend human rights, including the right to democracy and participation in decision-making, the Saudi government recently launched a campaign to demolish large neighborhoods of the city of Jeddah, in which thousands are protesting without including them in any of the plans.