Saudi Arabia promotes its tourism sector and indicates in official forums that in recent years it has achieved unprecedented accomplishments regarding the number of tourists and spending in this sector. The Hajj and Umrah seasons in Saudi Arabia are among the most prominent seasons for religious tourism in the country. Official propaganda covers up severe violations that have increased in recent years, causing large groups of Muslims to fear performing this religious duty.
Several entities contribute to the organization and accompanying measures for Hajj and Umrah, including the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health, and others.
Saudi Arabia boasts about the success of Hajj and Umrah and praises its security apparatus, issuing official statements to highlight this success and asserting that the country is safe for pilgrims. Contrary to these claims, and despite the lack of transparency in accessing sufficient information, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights has monitored widespread violations during Hajj, most notably arbitrary arrests that have increased since King Salman bin Abdulaziz came to power:
- مع بداية موسم الحج 2024، برزت معلومات عن اعتقال عدد من المواطنين العراقيين، بينهم المحلل السياسي عماد المسافر من دون توجيه تهمة. بعد أيام أكد رئيس هيئة الحج والعمرة العراقية سامي المسعودي اعتقال مواطنين عراقيين، موضحا أن سبب الاعتقال هو إجراءات السعودية التي “تتعلق بتنظيم الحج، ومن بينها الشعارات والنشر الالكتروني والنشر السياسي”. بالتالي فإن سبب الاعتقال هو ترديد أو نشر عبارات سياسية.
- In November 2023, Saudi Arabia arrested Yemeni YouTuber Fahd Ramadan during his Umrah pilgrimage due to leaked messages in which he criticized Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
- In June 2023, Saudi Arabia arrested Bahraini cleric Sheikh Jamil Hassan Al-Baqeri while he was performing Hajj at his residence in Mecca after he appeared in a video reciting the Du’a Al-Faraj prayer in the Grand Mosque.
- In 2022, Saudi Arabia arrested Lebanese youth Haidar Salim after he performed Hajj due to chanting religious slogans. Later, Salim was sentenced to 5 years in prison for posting a video on social media while chanting slogans. The organization had also monitored the arrest of a Lebanese pilgrim in 2016 for sitting on a picture of the king, where he was accused of insulting the monarchy.
- Additionally, since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023, the organization has documented the arrest of several Umrah performers for praying and posting about Gaza, including Turkish pilgrim Mustafa Evah, Egyptian TikTok activist Abdul Rahman Abdul Raheem, known as "Zelzal El-Saeed," and Algerian pilgrim Sheikh Abed al-Hakim al-Jazaeri.
- In 2016, Saudi Arabia arrested Sheikh Mohammed Zainuddin and Sayyid Jaafar Al-Alawi while they were going to perform Hajj. Later, in 2019, they were sentenced to 9 years in prison and banned from traveling.
The cases that the organization has been able to document show an expansion and arbitrariness in the arrest of Hajj and Umrah performers under the pretext of securing the pilgrimage, even though the published reasons for the arrests do not include security charges and mostly relate to the exercise of religious rights or expression of opinion.
ESOHR indicates that these arrests are part of the intimidation tactics Saudi Arabia has employed in recent years on various levels, accompanied by widespread arrests followed by arbitrary sentences. This has directly impacted individuals' rights to perform the most prominent Islamic religious rituals, Hajj and Umrah. In addition to the arbitrary and selective nature of arrests before, during, and after performing the rituals, the lack of transparency and the possibility of arrest upon arrival, despite having obtained a visa, have increased fears among individuals whose practices, ideas, and beliefs Saudi Arabia might criminalize. This includes Saudi dissidents and activists living abroad, as well as journalists and researchers who have reported on its violations.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights believes that repression and intimidation have intensified in recent years under the control of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his son, the Crown Prince. This includes restrictions on religious rituals, which should be a fundamental right that must not be infringed upon.
The organization asserts that the lack of transparency and the absence of any independent body to monitor cases and reasons for arrests contribute to the escalation of violations during the Hajj seasons. The organization also emphasizes that given the lack of trust in the Saudi judicial and security apparatus, which plays a key role in repression, it is important to activate the role of embassies, consulates, and specialized bodies in the countries whose citizens perform religious rituals to ensure they can exercise their rights and guarantee their safe return to their countries.