Eight non-governmental organizations sent an open letter to Boeing, calling it on to urge Saudi Arabia to lift the ban on traveling for peaceful activists.
The letter was signed by the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, AlQST for Human Rights, Democracy Now for the Arab World, FairSquare, the Gulf Center for Human Rights, the International Service for Human Rights, MENA for Human Rights, and the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation.
The organizations further urged Boeing to take a principled stance concerning human rights in Saudi Arabia, one of its most important clients, and in particular, urged the Saudi authorities to lift travel bans on many peaceful dissidents, human rights advocates, and their families. The letter further states that such a ban on travel has devastating effects on the citizens' careers, family life, and mental health and leads to separations among family members and problems in marital life.
The message pointed out that on March 14, Saudi Arabia announced two agreements to purchase up to 121 Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes for the newly launched Saudi airline, "Riyadh Air," launched by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund and the state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines. The two agreements represent Boeing's fifth-largest commercial order by value. This deal is part of Vision 2030 plan to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy and reduce its reliance on oil revenues.
The letter indicated that although Saudi Arabia, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, seeks to open up to international mass tourism, it grants many citizens different forms of freedom to travel. Using travel bans, the Saudi authorities strongly restrict the right to freedom of movement for human rights defenders, political opponents, and their families residing in the country.
In addition to imposing travel bans on individuals who have been released, which is usually part of the judicial sentences issued against them, Saudi authorities routinely impose arbitrary travel bans on the families of detainees in the form of collective punishment. Such bans can be issued without regard to legal procedures, without specifying the reasons, and even without notifying those concerned until they attempt to travel outside the country.
The letter cited the family of prominent Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, known for organizing campaigns to eliminate the male guardianship system until her arrest in 2018. Her family members did not receive official confirmation that they were subject to arbitrary travel bans until December 2021, nor have they received any reason for that decision. The ban includes her parents and siblings residing in Saudi Arabia, but they only discovered this when they tried to travel abroad.
Likewise, 19 members of the closest relatives of the prominent cleric Salman Al-Awda, one of the most prominent advocates of political reform and human rights in Saudi Arabia, were targeted, including children. The travel ban was imposed on them when Al-Awda was arrested back in September 2017 because of a tweet, but they were not informed of the reason. They discovered the ban when many of them attempted to leave the country.
The letter made it clear that the practices of the Saudi government are in stark contrast to Boeing's public commitment to protecting and promoting human rights in all its operations worldwide and its commitment to "applying the highest ethical standards in everything we do and in all aspects of our business." Therefore, Boeing should use the bargaining chip provided by its current commercial deals with Saudi Arabia to confront the authorities regarding cases of oppression and human rights violations.
The signing organizations urged Boeing to take a principled stance on the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, they urged the Saudi authorities publicly and privately to respect the right to freedom of movement and to lift the devastating travel ban imposed on peaceful dissenters, human rights defenders, and their families.