Twelve non-governmental organizations, including the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, sent a letter to the International Bureau of Exhibitions, in which they called on it to exclude the candidacy of Saudi Arabia as a possible host for the 2030 World Expo due to its appalling record in the field of internationally recognized and documented human rights.
The letter, which was addressed to the executive committee of the office, indicated that Saudi Arabia's hosting of entertainment and sporting events constitutes a whitewash for the government's repression and its poor record in the field of human rights in both the past and the present.
The letter indicated that the investigation mission of the International Bureau of Exhibitions is tasked with assessing the level of support for the exhibition among citizens, special interest groups, political groups and companies. Accordingly and as part of the BIE's evaluation process, the organizations invited Mr. Patrick Specht, Head of the Investigation Mission and Chairman of the BIE Management and Budget Committee, to conduct formal consultations with the signatories and other stakeholders as part of the human rights impact assessment.
In particular, they urge the organizations to consider Saudi Arabia's continued use of the death penalty, destroying human rights activism, silencing women's rights advocates, and targeting dissidents outside its borders, as well as its severe restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly, and association.
The Bureau International des Expositions describes international exhibitions as global events dedicated to finding solutions to fundamental challenges facing humanity and a platform for international dialogue in favour of progress and cooperation. While Saudi Arabia's proposed title to host the Expo in 2030, The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow, appears to reflect these aspirations, its behaviour is in stark contrast to the BIE's values and mission and could lead to a bad reputation for the organization and effectiveness. The systematic human rights violations committed by the Saudi authorities contradict the spirit of the World Expo.
Saudi Arabia continues to impose the death penalty widely and arbitrarily, after unfair trials. In 2022, the authorities executed 147 people, more than double the number in the previous year despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's promise in 2018 to limit the use of the death penalty. Executions were carried out against those accused of protesting unfair trials that involved confessions extracted under torture, as well as academics, prisoners of conscience, and even minors. Currently, there are at least nine young men at risk of execution for crimes they allegedly committed when they were minors.
The letter indicated that Saudi Arabia continues to imprison defenders of civil and political rights and women's rights, and it also keeps the prominent human rights defender and co-founder of the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA) Muhammad al-Qahtani, in inhumane prison conditions that have exceeded the end of his lengthy and unjust sentence. In a particularly shocking case, an elderly ACPRA co-founder, Abdullah Al-Hamid, died in custody in April 2020 after Saudi Arabia deliberately neglected his medical needs.
The signatories made clear that Saudi Arabia routinely arrests and detains individuals for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and speaking out about human rights. In two high-profile cases in 2022, PhD student Salma Al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison (the term was later reduced to 27 years) and Noura Al-Qahtani to 45 years under the draconian 2017 Anti-Terrorism and Financing Law. Before their arrests, the two women had expressed their support on Twitter for human rights activists women in Saudi Arabia.
The letter made it clear that Saudi repression now regularly extends even beyond its borders. According to a recent report, Saudi Arabia is conducting physical and digital surveillance of Saudi dissidents. They explained that the most gruesome example so far was the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018, by Saudi agents in the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Both the US Director of National Intelligence and former UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, found sufficient evidence to conclude that the killing order was issued by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with whom the BIE met during his investigative mission in March 2023.
In addition, the Saudi leadership has no compunction in pursuing extravagant projects regardless of the human cost. For example, Saudi Arabia claims that the NEOM smart city project will be an accelerator of human progress that will embody the future of business innovation, dynamism and sustainability. The organizations indicated that, in fact, since 2020, the construction of NEOM has led to the displacement of several indigenous tribes in Tabuk Governorate, many of whom have been unfairly and disproportionately punished for their resistance to eviction. Among them is the al-Huwaitat tribe, many of whose members have been sentenced to decades of imprisonment and even death on trumped-up charges of terrorism, simply for their opposition to their displacement. A group of United Nations experts recently denounced these abuses and urged all companies involved, including foreign investors, to ensure that they do not cause or contribute to, and are not directly linked to serious human rights abuses. In this context, Saudi officials cannot claim that NEOM will accelerate human progress and innovate livelihoods when the government ignores the impact on the living conditions of citizens and rushes to strip them of their fundamental rights.
While the BIE's investigative mission was impressed with Saudi Arabia's ability to host the fair, the organizations stressed that it was crucial to realize that this was yet another attempt to whitewash past Saudi leadership abuses and ongoing repression. They explained that the gross human rights violations committed in recent years do not show signs of regression, and are not likely to stop with empty promises of change, innovation and huge development projects.
The organizations pointed out that the systematic practice of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia is not in line with the values of the International Bureau of Exhibitions and the World Expo, and urged them to take this into account when evaluating Riyadh's candidacy to host Expo 2030.
The organizations specifically asked the Executive Committee of the International Bureau of Exhibitions to declare that Saudi Arabia's candidacy is not applicable, and not to put it to the General Assembly for a vote, as Saudi Arabia cannot find solutions to the global challenges facing humanity, nor can it prefer progress and cooperation, in While its domestic human rights record and socio-political landscape is riddled with rampant abuses that are, on the contrary, regressive.
The signatories:
ALQST for Human Rights
CIVICUS
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR)
HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
Human Rights Foundation (HRF)
مركز تفعیل الحقوق
ECPM
MENA Rights Group
Right Livelihood
Salam for Democracy and Human Rights
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)