The United Nations Human Rights Council opened its 50th session in Geneva on June 13, 2022, which will run until July 8.
High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, pointed out in her opening remarks to the session, in which she provided an update on human rights, that the world is facing crises affecting the most vulnerable in particular. Bachelet explained the violations taking place in a number of countries in the world. The aspects of the violations referred to in the speech are evident in the practices of Saudi Arabia, especially in recent years.
Bachelet considered that in the face of global crises, transparency must be increased and civic participation should be expanded if the goal is to build brighter societies. The High Commissioner emphasized that vibrant civil space was a lever for a stable and secure society, nevertheless, the process of documenting attacks against defenders and journalists worldwide continued.
Over the past years, Saudi Arabia has committed widespread violations against journalists and human rights defenders. In addition to the continued detention of dozens of journalists and threats to their lives, and the ban on the media inside, it continues to issue arbitrary rulings on human rights defenders and severely restricts them by using many measures, including the travel ban.
Bachelet argued that progress on economic goals, such as poverty reduction, cannot be separated from the rights of those intended beneficiaries of those developments, including their right to express their opinion and demand the change they want to see.
During the past years, the Saudi government announced several large economic projects that include the establishment of cities, but in return, it violated many rights, including the right to housing. It also persecuted and threatened the lives of individuals who criticized these projects or refused to establish them on their land and practiced forced displacement of thousands.
Bachelet emphasized that arresting peaceful protesters, the closure of independent media, and the detention of lawyers are measures that not only violate rights but also destroy the foundations of prosperity and security. The High Commissioner also considered that free and fair elections are critical to involving people in the decision
Bachelet's reference to the elections and their importance comes at a time when the system of government in Saudi Arabia is still a monarchy, where all official bodies and institutions are directly linked to the king and the crown prince, while criticism is criminalized and demonstrators are sentenced to harsh sentences, up to the death penalty.
In conjunction with the approval by the Court of Appeal of the death sentence against the minor Abdullah Al-Hwaiti and the continued threat to the lives of dozens of people, the High Commissioner’s speech urged countries to join the global trend towards comprehensive abolition and full respect for the right to life.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights believes that the opening speech of the 50th session of the Human Rights Council indicated that Saudi Arabia is moving away from the global approach required to protect human rights, in contrast to official propaganda and promotion but rather, it's practices show a method of violations.
The organization points out that Saudi Arabia's economic slogans extensively violate the rights of the population and citizens, and use force to impose its political, economic, social and cultural vision without involving individuals in any of the resolutions but to pursue and hold to account any dissenting voice.