The Benelux Union, which includes Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, has expressed its concerns regarding the intimidation of two human rights advocates from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Loujain al-Hathloul and Samar Badawi.
In a statement given by the Dutch representative to the UN, Monique T.G. Van Daalen, under Item 5 of the Human Rights Council, at its 43rd session which resumed on 15 June 2020, the Benelux countries called for the release of all human rights advocates who have been arrested for their participation in UN activities, especially those related to human rights.
The statement noted that al-Hathloul and Badawi had participated in the activities of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, as well as in Saudi Arabia’s Universal Periodic Review.
The statement condemned all forms of intimidation against members of civil society who work with UN human rights mechanisms.