In September 2023, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia stated in a television interview that he "wants a good life for the Palestinians" and emphasized the significance of the Palestinian cause in the normalization process with the Israeli occupying authority.
Approximately three weeks after the interview, amid the Israeli occupying authority's killing of thousands in airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in Palestine, Saudi Arabia prevented Al-Hilal Club, one of the investment fund's sports clubs, from posting an image expressing solidarity with the victims in the sector. This action contradicted the Crown Prince's statements.
Information indicated official directives to the club resulted in the removal of an image of one of its players wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. Additionally, several individuals who participated in expressing solidarity publicly issued formal apologies for engaging in "political matters in our beloved sports."
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia restricts its residents from exercising the right to demonstrate and engage in peaceful assemblies in solidarity with the Palestinians. While most cities worldwide witnessed rallies supporting the Palestinian people's right to life, Saudi Arabia continues to prohibit such expressions. In the past, Saudi Arabia had arrested Khaled Al-Omair for advocating protests in support of Gaza.
Alongside the prevention of solidarity, Saudi Arabia has carried out arbitrary arrests of Palestinians in recent years. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention affirmed that their deprivation of liberty is discriminatory based on their Palestinian national origin.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights views the direct or indirect prevention of expressing solidarity with the Palestinian cause as a clear contradiction to the recent statements by the Crown Prince regarding the rights and lives of Palestinians. ESOHR points out that some information suggests arbitrary practices against individuals due to their expressions of solidarity, including job termination and arrests.
ESOHR considers the suppression of tweets and control over what a football team publishes as part of Saudi Arabia's ongoing approach to suppress freedom of opinion and expression. The Saudi government employs electronic surveillance, known as the "electronic flies," to monitor accounts that diverge from the government's vision, attempting to intimidate activists and publishers.
In addition, the imposition of official guidelines on sports clubs reinforces Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's declaration of his intent to pursue "sports cleansing." Saudi Arabia, in using sports, attempts to present an image far removed from the reality of being one of the most prolific implementers of the death penalty, engaging in torture, and committing other human rights violations such as arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances.
ESOHR believes that the prevention of a football team's solidarity with Palestinian victims signifies a continued suppression of freedom of opinion and expression, using sports as a clear indicator of the Saudi government's and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's positions on human rights issues both domestically and internationally, separate from promotional claims and propaganda funds.