Saudi Arabia reiterated its deceptive discourse at the Human Rights Council, with Asia Abdul Latif Baaqodah, a member of the official delegation, stating that her country attaches great importance to enhancing and protecting human rights and adheres to international law. During the discussions of agenda item 4 of the 55th session of the Council on March 20, 2024, Baaqodah stated that all human rights and fundamental freedoms are interconnected and reinforce each other, indicating that her country works to promote and protect these rights.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights points out that what caught attention during Baaqodah's speech was her reference to the rights of persons with disabilities in Austria. This reference came outside the context of her speech and does not resemble Saudi Arabia's official interventions. However, it followed urging Austria to urge Saudi Arabia to halt the implementation of the death penalty, which may indicate that the reason for criticizing Austria is its mention of Saudi Arabia's violations.
Furthermore, the statement emphasized Saudi Arabia's insistence on the importance of the Universal Periodic Review as a mechanism for comprehensive and constructive dialogue to consider all political, civil, social, cultural, and economic human rights. The organization points out that one of the most important requirements of the Universal Periodic Review is the participation of civil society in providing information to the mechanism, while Saudi Arabia criminalizes the activities of civil society and human rights defenders, and no domestic civil entity has participated in providing information to the mechanism.