On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, ESOHR believes that the Saudi government’s policies prevent any type of prosecution and punishment for those who violate the rights of journalists and commit crimes against them. In fact, in many cases, its policies justify and legitimize these crimes.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranks 169th out of 180 nations on the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders in April 2018. In October 2018, ESOHR warned that Saudi Arabia’s ranking would decline during the next ranking, as various types of serious violence against journalists increased in the country along with indicators of rising threats to freedom of the press.
Saudi Arabia has long banned independent media outlets and restricted freedom of expression by criminalizing it in flawed laws. However, in recent years, the pace of violence against journalists has increased, and with Mohammed bin Salman’s mounting control over the country, the status of journalists and their work environment have deteriorated. During the recent campaigns of arbitrary arrests, dozens of writers, bloggers, and media professionals were arrested, some of them accused of working against and threatening national security. They join previous arbitrarily-detained journalists facing the possibility of torture with the goal of extracting confessions and lengthy sentences following unjust trials.
In addition to arrests, rulings, and silencing of voices, Saudi Arabia has practised physical violence against journalists. On February 20, 2014, police forces in Awamiya killed photographer Hussein al-Faraj while he was covering the raids that were taking place in the region. Al-Faraj was associated with the demonstrations that began in Saudi Arabia coinciding with the Arab Spring. And recently, on October 2, 2018, Saudi Arabia killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi after he entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey, and the Turkish official authorities indicated that his killing was carried out in an extremely heinous and brutal way, as his body was cut off, and his scattered limbs are still hidden.
ESOHR believes that the path of Saudi violations is on the rise, and the space for freedom of the press has shrunk without any accountability for those responsible.
As the world celebrates the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists in 2018, in which the United Nations urged Member States “to do everything possible to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, ensure accountability, and bring perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers to justice.” the media to justice, and ensuring that the victims receive appropriate remedies.” The Saudi government justifies its violations against journalists by criminalizing their work and practising violence against them in light of the lack of independence of the judicial bodies that must carry out the task of investigating and punishing t
Even though the UN resolution on the occasion of this day requires states to “work to create a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference,” Saudi Arabia still surrounds the work of journalists, prevents all free media outlets from working there, and pursues them through arbitrary arrests. and unfair trials and unfair sentences, as well as laws and policies that legitimize systematic violations of press freedom.
Monitored violations cases against journalists:
Nouf bint Abdulaziz
A blogger and journalist, she was arrested on 6 June 2018. She wrote various articles highlighting her interest in public reform. In October 2017, she also wrote a joint article documenting the women’s rights movement on the internet in Saudi Arabia, and she contributed to numerous news reports on the reality of arbitrary detentions of human rights advocates.
Eman al-Nafjan
Eman is a Saudi blogger and the founder of the “Saudiwoman” blog. She is known for her writings on Saudi politics and her defense of rights activists and women’s right to drive, as well as her stance against the guardianship system. She was arrested on 17 May 2018, and charged with undermining Saudi security and stability and communicating with foreign entities.
Jamal Khashoggi
He was a Saudi journalist and media professional, headed numerous positions for many newspapers in Saudi Arabia, and the former director-general of the Arab News channel. He had written a column for the Washington Post since 2017. In Saudi Arabia, he was banned from writing and then emigrated from the country. Saudi intelligence services killed him on 2 October 2018, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
الدكتورعلي العمري
President of the Open University of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, and director of the “For Youth” channel, which was established in 2007 and stopped working later. He was arrested in September 2017 and the Public Prosecution requested the death penalty for him in September 2018 on charges including forming a “youth organization to achieve the goals of a secret terrorist organization inside the Kingdom.”
Saleh al-Shehi
A columnist and journalist at Al Watan newspaper, he was arrested in December 2017, after criticizing the policies of Mohammed bin Salman on a television program, as well as for his columns in which he criticized the performance of the state. He was sentenced to five years in prison and banned from traveling for a similar length of time.
Khaled al-Alkami
He is an economics writer who was arrested during the Saudi government’s broad campaign of arrests in September 2017.
Muhammad al-Suhaimi
The writer, author and journalist was arrested in February 2018 after the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information announced, through an official statement, that he had been suspended and referred for investigation for expressing his opinion on religious issues.
Nazir al-Majid
A journalist and writer, he was arrested on 18 January 2017. The Specialized Criminal Court sentenced him to seven years in prison with a travel ban for another seven years, on charges of writing articles against the government and participating in protests. He was also arbitrarily arrested in 2011, and tortured.
Alaa Brinji
A journalist and writer for the newspapers Al Bilad, Al Sharq, and Okaz, he was arrested on 12 May 2014. After four years in prison, he was sentenced to seven years in jail and a fine of SR 50 thousand, and he was banned from traveling for eight years after the end of his prison term. His sentence was based on tweets opposing government abuses. He was denied access to the outside world and legal representation.
Jassim Makki Al Safar
A photographer, he was arrested on 8 July 2012. On 18 June 2014, he was sentenced to seven years in prison and banned from traveling for another seven years after the end of his prison term. He was accused of posting photos and videos that tarnished the country’s reputation on YouTube and social media, as well as putting up photos of prisoners in public places. Jassim told the judge he had been tortured and mistreated since his arrest, but the judge disregarded this.
Mohammed al-Khoweildy
A journalist and writer for several newspapers and websites, he was arrested in June 2016, sentenced to three years in jail, and banned from traveling for three years.
Dr. Mohammed Saud al-Bishr
An opinion columnist for Al-Jazeera and professor of political media at the College of Communications and Media at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, he was arrested on 5 October 2017, as part of the September 2017 campaign of arrests.
Fahd al-Sunaidi
A broadcaster on Al-Qur’an Radio and host of programs on the Al-Majd channel, he was arrested on September 11, 2017, and accused of supporting the Arab revolutions, posting tweets at odds with state directives, and calling for the release of detainees.
Hussein al-Faraj
A photographer, he was killed by special forces during a raid in the municipality of Awamiyah on 20 February 2014. Al-Faraj’s photographs were an important media source in the coverage of the peaceful demonstrations that began in Qatif on 17 February 2011.
Zuhair al-Saeed
A photographer, he was shot and killed in February 2012 by Saudi police forces while filming a peaceful march in the city of Awamiyah.
Tarad al-Omari
A researcher, writer, and journalist, he was suspended from writing in August 2016, in connection with his criticisms of official policies. He was then referred for investigation and at present remains in detention.
Zakaria Safwan
A writer who published many articles on websites, he was arrested on 22 April 2011, for writing an article, “In defense of the right to peaceful protest.” He was tortured and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Abdullah al-Maliki
Researcher and writer. He has a book entitled “The Sovereignty of the Nation before the Application of Sharia.” He was arrested in September 2017 as part of a massive arrest campaign, and his trial began in September 2018.
Adel al-Labbad
A writer and poet, he supported the popular movement in the governorate of Qatif and wrote several articles on the subject. He shared his opinion and poems on social media. He was arrested five times and tortured, which he wrote about in a book. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his positions and writings.
Sheikh Wajdi al-Ghazzawi
A writer, journalist, and TV station director, he was arrested in February 2014, in connection with his media activities criticizing corruption and demanding change. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail.
Raif Badawi
Writer and founder of the “Saudi Liberals” website. Badawi was arrested in 2012 on charges including insulting Islam and apostasy. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes.
Essam al-Zamil
An economics writer, he first worked for Aramco and then went on to found businesses in the information technology sector. He emerged as an important economic analyst whose economic opinions were of interest in Saudi Arabia. His criticism of the decision to float shares of Aramco was widely publicized and is believed to be one of the main reasons for his arrest.
In these cases and others, ESOHR believes that the Saudi government has strayed far from the recommendations of the UN on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, especially with regard to punishing all those responsible for crimes against journalists, such as murder, torture, and arbitrary detention.
ESOHR emphasizes that a safe environment for journalists working in Saudi Arabia is non-existent, and the space for freedom in journalistic work has shrunk greatly. The situation is acceptable only for journalists who support and agree with the government in all its policies, however erratic, contradictory, and catastrophic they may be.