The European Saudi Human Rights Organization and Al- Qust Organization considered the slow, limited, and defensive response by the Saudi government to the alarming death toll during the 2024 Hajj season as a serious cause for concern. In a joint statement, the organizations emphasized the importance of Saudi Arabia being explicit and transparent about sharing all available information, and granting independent international investigators access to the country to determine exactly what happened, in order to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The statement noted that media reports, based on figures from diplomats, indicated that over 1100 people from more than 20 countries had died so far during the Hajj season, with temperatures rising above 50 degrees Celsius. Social media posts shared painful images of pilgrims collapsing on the road. Many of those who perished are believed to have not been officially registered, thus unable to access tents.
The Hajj season, attended by millions of Muslims annually, poses numerous health and security challenges, exacerbated by climate change. Previous tragedies include the deaths of over 2000 pilgrims in 2015 due to overcrowding. However, the Saudi authorities' response to this year's tragic death toll has once again been to deny the problem for as long as possible and withhold critical information that could prevent recurrence.
Several countries, including Egypt, which suffered the highest number of deaths among its nationals, openly responded and Egyptian authorities swiftly announced the formation of a crisis unit to investigate the Egyptian deaths. Jordan and Tunisia also reported deaths due to heat exhaustion. Despite Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health reporting thousands of cases of heat exhaustion, several days passed before Saudi officials acknowledged any deaths, which had reached 1300 by June 23rd. Instead, the state appeared to downplay the tragedy, with a state-owned media outlet referring to "no security incidents or health threats."
Both organizations considered that Saudi authorities prioritized their public image over ensuring the health and safety of a large number of visitors, reflecting a broader climate of impunity in the country. In Saudi Arabia, authorities shield themselves from public scrutiny, silence independent civil society, and criminalize human rights activities.
Additionally, there is no independent monitoring of prisons or courts, trials are held in secret, and UN fact-finding experts are denied access to the country. The lack of accountability and transparency is a fundamental issue contributing to the erosion of basic human rights and governance.
Consequently, Al-Qust and ESOHR emphasized the importance of transparency, which should guide any response by any country to such a tragedy. The statement underscored that disclosing all available information and granting independent international investigators access to the country to establish facts are crucial to providing answers urgently needed by the victims' families and to ensure that such incidents do not recur.