Human rights are a contentious issue in Saudi Arabia. Several foreign groups and nations have accused and blamed the Saudi government, which upholds sharia law under the House of Saud’s ultimate control, of breaching several human rights throughout the kingdom. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s authoritarian government is often listed as one of the “worst of the worst” in Freedom House’s yearly assessment of political and civil rights. A well-known Saudi women’s rights activist was sentenced to nearly six years in jail by the Criminal Court in Riyadh on December 28, 2020, bringing attention to the kingdom’s human rights problems once again.
Suppression of freedom of expression
The Saudi delegation upheld legal customs that date back 1,400 years to the founding of Islam and opposed outside meddling with its legal framework. Later, Saudi Arabia outlawed the practice of flogging and substituted jail term, fines, or both. Flogging is still often used by the courts as a primary or supplementary punishment for various offenses. Five defendants in all received sentences ranging from 1,000 to 2,500 lashes. There was flogging in jails. For example, Mazen Abdul-Jawad boasted about his sex adventures on a Saudi TV show and was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and five years in prison.
After being charged with apostasy in 2014, Saudi blogger Raif Badawi’s sentence was raised to 1,000 lashes and ten years in jail. Saudi Arabian courts still sentence people to torture as a form of punishment for a wide range of offenses, frequently after flawed trials. Flogging is an example of a brutal, inhumane, and degrading form of corporal punishment that has no place in the legal system. In addition to Raif, during the previous two years, Filipino domestic servant Ruth Cosrojas received a punishment of 300 lashes, while human rights advocates Mikhlif bin Daham al-Shammari and Omar al-Sa’id received sentences of 200 and 300 lashes, respectively.
Arbitrary detentions and political imprisonment
In 2022, Saudi Arabia carried out 196 executions. The greatest mass execution in recent memory took place on March 12 when 81 men were executed in a single day by the government. The nation uses the death penalty at the second-highest rate in the world. In both the legal and practical spheres, prejudice against women and girls persists. Women are required to have a male legal guardian, and they are not allowed to select one, according to the male guardianship system that was codified into law in 2022.
Even after the legislation was altered to permit women to drive, several women, like Loujain, who had backed a campaign against the prohibition were harassed and imprisoned. Authorities in Saudi Arabia imprisoned Ethiopian men, women, and children without cause for up to eighteen months in 2022. They subjected them to torture and other cruel treatment before forcing them to return to their own country. Before being deported, they were housed in two detention facilities in overcrowded cells with limited access to food, water, sanitary facilities, and medical treatment. Twelve guys at least lost their lives.
Violations of women’s rights
The Interior Ministry claims that a systematic crackdown on foreign nationals is in place, with 479,000 of the 678,000 people who were detained being sent back to their countries of origin. In the same time frame, 14,511 foreign nationals, the majority of whom were Ethiopians and Yemenis, since war has driven many to flee were detained for entering Saudi Arabia illegally from Yemen. The Saudi government controls the country’s media, and journalists are subject to jail sentences for a range of alleged crimes. The savage murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was approved by Saudi officials, including the Crown Prince, since the man had been critical of the kingdom. The nation’s leaders have never been made to answer for their actions.
Treatment of migrant workers
In addition to Raif Badawi, several other vocal activists are still imprisoned for just using their freedoms of assembly, speech, and association. Numerous well-known and independent human rights advocates in Saudi Arabia have either left the nation, been intimidated into silence, or been imprisoned. After being wrongfully imprisoned, many human rights advocates are still being punished. Many get travel restrictions, which prevent them from leaving the nation and visiting loved ones. In order to create room for opulent hotels and structures, more than half a million residents of Jeddah had their dwellings destroyed and they were forced to leave their homes. Foreign nationals, who make up about half of individuals affected, are not included in a compensation plan that was announced following the demolitions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Demonstrations and protests are prohibited. Those who disobey the prohibition risk being taken into custody, prosecuted, and imprisoned on grounds such “inciting people against the authorities.”