In January 2022, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began a massive eviction of the residents of several neighborhoods in the city of Jeddah. Despite the intimidation practiced by the Saudi government against the population, the lack of any role for civil society and the prevention of expression of opinion, follow-ups confirmed that the evictions contained numerous violations of international and local laws.
Activists on social media posted clips and photos showing the violations involved in the eviction process, including giving short deadlines that sometimes do not exceed 48 hours, which may lead to the displacement of some families. The operation also aims to remove cultural, religious and social landmarks, as activists indicated on social media that the demolitions also included the demolition of mosques, schools and hospitals. The information also confirmed the refusal of some residents to vacate their homes, in light of the uncertainty regarding the issue of compensation, as observers confirmed that many residents who do not possess official property papers have been deprived of their right to compensation, while others face a delay in delivering the amounts that sources indicated are not sufficient to purchase Alternative similar accommodation.
In December 2021, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched the general plan and main features of the “Downtown Jeddah” project, with a total investment of 75 billion riyals allocated to develop 5.7 million square meters, financed by the Public Investment Fund and investors. The scheme comes within the framework of bin Salman’s Vision 2020, which will replace the neighborhoods with four major global landmarks, “an opera house, a museum, a sports stadium, ocean basins and coral farms,” in addition to 10 quality entertainment and tourism projects. According to the tables published by the Jeddah Municipality, the demolition and removal works will affect at least 37 neighborhoods, with a total area of 31.2 million cubic meters. According to the figures, 200,000 homes, in which nearly one million people live, who make up a quarter of the population of Jeddah, have been affected by the evictions.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights believes that the Saudi government is constantly using a policy of forced eviction, without complying with international principles and laws, and in a manner that directly affects the population and its basic rights.
In May 2017, Saudi Arabia carried out a forcible displacement of thousands of people in the Al-Masora neighborhood in the city of Awamiya, despite the criticism of the United Nations and its demand for the government to protect the archaeological neighborhood. The documentation of ESOHR confirmed that Saudi Arabia violated a number of laws in the Al-Masora neighborhood operation.
At the beginning of the year 2020, the authorities began displacing the people of the Khirbet area of the city of Tabuk in the northwest of the country, to include it in the Neom city project, which Ibn Salman wants to make it a destination for tourism and business in the region. At the time, the area witnessed the most prominent incident of the killing of Abdul Rahim Al-Hwaiti, who refused to sign for compensation in exchange for evacuating his house. The people said at the time that the Neom project was not justified to remove their homes, which does not affect the progress of work.
And last April, the authorities demolished houses in the Tandah area in Khamis Mushait governorate, amid anger from the residents who tried to stop the bulldozers. The authorities also demolished homes in old neighborhoods in several places in the country, including Mecca and Medina.
ESOHR considers that what the residents of the city of Jeddah are subjected to, and what the residents of other regions have been subjected to at different times, is forced eviction, defined by the Committee on Economic and Social Rights as “the transfer of individuals, families and/or communities, permanently or temporarily, against their will of their homes and/or land they occupy, without providing access to appropriate forms of legal or other protection.”
The organization notes that the measures taken by the Saudi government violated local regulations, including the system of expropriation for the public benefit, as it did not intend to value property and give residents the right to object, as stipulated by law, and proceeded to vacate homes for commercial purposes that do not serve their interests, and without prior warning which led to the displacement of some residents.
In addition, Saudi Arabia has violated international laws, especially the basic principles and guidelines related to evictions and deportations in the interest of development, which were published by the rapporteur on housing. While the principles state that “states should prioritize exploring strategies that minimize displacement,” the Saudi government prioritizes economic or political goals away from the interests of the population.
In addition, according to the principles, “anyone who may be affected by the processes of urban or rural planning and development should participate in it.” On the other hand, the documentation of the displacement and eviction operations that took place showed the lack of any participation of the affected community in planning, and the prosecution of individuals who objected to the measures with death and arrest.
While “evictions should not result in the displacement of people or make them vulnerable to violating other human rights,” the Saudi government violated in the operations it carried out a number of rights, including the right to life, the right to housing, and others.
In addition, Saudi Arabia has violated basic international principles in evictions during and after implementation, including those related to compensation, evictions, notification, time and the use of force.
ESOHR considers that the Saudi government is violating international rules, laws and principles, in its demolitions and evictions, and thus is carrying out forced evictions. The organization stresses that in addition to the measures accompanying the demolitions, the evictions can only be legal if they are for the purpose of development for the benefit of the population and individuals, which is not included in the announced investment plans.