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Since 2009, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has undergone three comprehensive periodic reviews. Between 2009 and 2018, the official Human Rights Commission stated that Saudi Arabia accepted 453 recommendations (fully and partially) within its reports on this mechanism. Saudi Arabia also hosted 4 special rapporteurs during this period as part of its cooperation with the United Nations mechanisms.
In July 2023, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights submitted a report for the fourth universal periodic review, shedding light on the human rights situation and the changes that occurred in the years following the last review. These changes were supposed to be based on the recommendations accepted by Saudi Arabia and its international commitments.
Saudi Arabia's dealing with international human rights mechanisms:
The report indicates that Saudi Arabia superficially uses human rights mechanisms, ignoring visit requests, evading responses to special rapporteurs, and misleading in the reports it provides.
In recent years, special rapporteurs on migrant workers, the death penalty, torture, assembly, human rights defenders, and slavery have requested visits to Saudi Arabia, but they have been ignored.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia pays no attention to international human rights opinions. Despite responding to messages from special rapporteurs, claiming progress in cooperation with the United Nations, it ignores these opinions.
Executions
Since 2018, Saudi Arabia has executed 615 individuals of various nationalities. Official promises to reduce executions have not resulted in sufficient reforms. During this period, mass executions were carried out, and nearly half of the executions were based on non-statutory punitive judgments at the discretion of judges.
In November 2022, Saudi Arabia resumed executing individuals convicted of drug-related crimes after a two-year hiatus, disregarding its promises and current recommendations. Currently, at least 64 individuals, including researchers, clerics, and protesters, face the death penalty for offenses such as protest and expressing opinions.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia continues to issue and implement death sentences against minors in various categories. Currently, at least 9 minors face the death penalty.[3].
Torture:
Saudi Arabia ratified the Convention Against Torture in 1996, claiming to prohibit and criminalize torture. However, documented cases of torture indicate widespread practices involving multiple security and judicial institutions, traced back to the king and crown prince.
Women’s rights
Since 2000, Saudi Arabia has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), committing to eliminate discrimination in marriage and family matters. However, Saudi Arabia still practices the male guardianship system, inherently discriminatory against women. Additionally, the country has arrested and tortured women's rights activists in recent years, with inadequate protection against violence.
Freedom of opinion and expression:
Freedom of opinion and expression in Saudi Arabia has deteriorated in recent years, attempting to control information flow about the country against claims of openness and inviting people to visit. Traditional media remains government-controlled, with no private media allowed, while restrictions on journalists and writers have increased. Hundreds of writers, bloggers, and individuals expressing their opinions are reportedly behind bars, and Saudi Arabia continues to intimidate journalists, including the unresolved case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia uses laws to criminalize legitimate rights. Alongside the misuse of anti-terrorism and funding laws, activists are labeled as terrorists to justify targeting them. The cybercrime law restricts freedom of expression and imposes punitive measures.
Civil society, activists, and human rights defenders:
Despite Saudi Arabia issuing laws on associations and civil institutions, it still prevents any role for civil society and NGOs. Recently, suppression against human rights defenders has increased.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has arrested activists, including Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sada, on charges of establishing civil organizations.
Moreover, most human rights defenders continue to face various violations. Despite the end of the sentences for Mohammed al-Qahtani, Mohammed al-Rubai, and Essa al-Nukhaifi, they remain in prison amid concerns of new lengthy sentences. Released defenders face harassment, including travel bans and activity restrictions.
Economic projects and forced displacement:
Several regions in Saudi Arabia have witnessed forced displacement operations under the pretext of implementing economic projects. In 2017, security forces used force to demolish a historic neighborhood in Al-Awamiyah in the Eastern Province, leading to the displacement of residents. [5]
On April 13, 2020, Saudi Arabia killed Abdulrahim al-Huwaiti in the town of Khuraybat in the northwest, hours after he posted a video on social media expressing his rejection of forced eviction.
Additionally, in January 2022, Saudi Arabia began a wide-scale eviction process for residents of several neighbourhoods in Jeddah. Despite government intimidation, lack of civil society involvement, and stifled expression of opinions, reports confirm that the eviction operations violate various international and local laws. Similar operations have occurred in several areas, including Mecca and Medina.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights presented several recommendations:
- Freeze all current death sentences and review them to ensure trial fairness.
- Halt the issuance and execution of death sentences for drug-related charges, ensuring the rights of detained migrant workers facing drug-related charges
- Stop issuing and executing death sentences for crimes that are not highly dangerous, including protests and expression of opinion.
- Completely abolish the guardianship system, lifting all discriminatory judgments and laws.
- Activate special mechanisms to protect women from violence.
- Release all prisoners of opinion, journalists, and human rights defenders.
- Ban criminalizing any practice related to expressing opinions, including online publishing.
- Enact laws guaranteeing the right to peaceful assembly and association.
- Amend laws used to violate human rights, including the counter-terrorism law and the cybercrime law.
- Remove all restrictions on human rights defenders, including travel bans.
- Halt all economic projects leading to human rights violations.
[1] https://www.esohr.org/ar/%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%88%d9%82%d8%b9-%d8%aa%d8%b9%d8%b0%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%85%d9%85%d9%86%d9%87%d8%ac-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d8%aa%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%84-%d8%b7%d9%84/
[2] https://spinternet.ohchr.org/ViewCountryVisits.aspx?visitType=all&country=SAU&Lang=en
[3] https://www.esohr.org/ar/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d9%87%d8%af%d8%af-%d8%ad%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%a9-9-%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%b5%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%82%d9%84-%ef%bf%bc/
[4] https://www.esohr.org/ar/%d9%82%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%88%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%83%d8%a7%d9%81%d8%ad%d8%a9-%d8%ac%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a6%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%88%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a3%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%a9-%d8%aa/
[5] https://www.esohr.org/ar/%d8%ae%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%85%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%aa%d8%ad%d8%af%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d8%b1%d8%af-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%b1/
[6] https://www.esohr.org/ar/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d9%82%d8%aa%d9%84-%d9%88%d8%aa%d8%b9%d8%aa%d9%82%d9%84-%d9%88%d8%aa%d9%8f%d9%87%d9%8e%d8%ac%d9%91%d9%90%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%83%d8%a7/