Australia’s representative at the Human Rights Council, Sally Mansfield, expressed her country’s concern over the restrictions the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to impose on civil and political rights.
On 27 February 2020, under Item 3 of the 43rd session of the HRC, Mansfield called on Saudi Arabia to lift restrictions on civil society and work for gender equality and religious rights for minorities.
During the preceding session of the HRC in September 2019, Australia led a statement signed by 26 nations, criticizing Saudi Arabia’s violations. The statement expressed concern over the status of human rights in Saudi Arabia, with civil society actors in Saudi Arabia still facing oppression and intimidation. Likewise, human rights advocates, women’s rights activists, and journalists remain in detention or under threat.