Now that the Saudi PIF has owned Newcastle United for well over 2.5 years, NE Bylines has been chronicling life in that Middle Eastern nation and the events that have transpired since the takeover in October 2021. Some people contend that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a location where human rights are violated, that the regime is a homicidal one that instigates unlawful wars, and that it is the source of numerous violations of human rights. An anti-terrorism court in Saudi Arabia secretly sentenced a young women’s rights activist to 11 years in jail after she was detained for “her choice of clothing and support for women’s rights”.
It was reported that Manahel al-Otaibi was convicted on January 9 for what the Saudi authorities referred to as “terrorist offenses,” and that Saudi officials had verified this in a message to the UN high commissioner for human rights. Saudi officials had approved the use of deadly force to clear land for the NEON desert metropolis being developed by dozens of Western corporations. Notably, Col. Rabih Alenezi claimed to have received orders to uproot a tribe’s residents in the Gulf state in order to create room for The Line, a Neom eco-project. “One of them was subsequently shot and killed for protesting against eviction,” it was said. Additionally, it was said that Neom management and the Saudi government had declined to respond.
Migrant workers exploited and abused
The performance by Seera, an all-female psychedelic rock group that combines revived psychedelia of bands like Tame Impala with traditional Arabic songs, was described as “unthinkable just years earlier in the kingdom.” However, in a country long associated with ultraconservative Islam and the rigid division of the sexes, Seera epitomizes how women are increasingly finding their voice and expressing themselves via the arts as Saudi Arabia liberalizes some areas of its culture.
The bassist for the group, Meesh, was cited as saying: “We weren’t sure how people would respond. We’re big proponents of individual expression. We were surprised to see that they welcomed us with open arms. It was also said that the band’s name, Seera, has two Arabic meanings: “life” and “biography.” The band members stated that they attempt to include both of these meanings into their music, whether it be with the synthesizer supporting the guitars or the driving drums and cymbals.
Dissidents silenced and detained
It was also observed that the letter, written by foreign attorneys, urges FIFA to utilize its influence with Saudi Arabia right now to ensure that the country complies with international human rights norms, which have been mandated for tournament hosts by the world soccer body’s own policy since 2017. “It is evident that Saudi Arabia falls far short of those requirements,” the letter says. Because of this, FIFA cannot rightly allow it to host the World Cup in 2034 as things are. As the biggest oil exporter in the world, the location of some of the most advanced military installations in the Middle East that the United States has access to, and the region’s biggest consumer of American goods and services particularly weapons, Saudi Arabia has long been a vital strategic ally of the American government. Because of the evident and rising resistance to the regime among many Saudis, the U.S. military presence has forced the Saudi royal family to face the realities of domestic public opinion. The cautious official Saudi reactions to the U.S.-led coalition created in the wake of the September 11 attacks seem to be heavily influenced by this resistance. Modern U.S. military equipment. Even though the Saudis would not let it be used as a base for airstrikes, the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Prince Sultan Air Base, home to around 5,000 U.S. military personnel, is playing a crucial command-and-control role in the U.S.-led operation in Afghanistan.
Minorities face discrimination and persecution
Human rights in Saudi Arabia have never been high on the U.S. agenda, despite the fact that Washington has long known that the 22 million people living there roughly six to seven million of whom are foreign workers and their families remain largely unprotected in their fundamental rights. Saudi Arabia’s political system does not reflect the country’s variety in terms of geographical areas and schools of Islamic law. The nation’s legal system is terribly opaque and unaccountable; there is no real safeguard against capricious arrests, unjustified incarceration, torture, or unfair trials. Approximately 121 foreigners and Saudis were decapitated in 2000 as a result of court cases that were mostly kept secret.