Many human rights organizations heavily criticized Saudi Arabia’s record that operates in direct opposition to the death penalty and its gross abuses of combined injustices in its legal system. March 2022 perfectly showcased how untenable international action against the death penalty and abuses of human rights had become, especially when 81 men were executed in one go. The present state of human rights in Saudi Arabia focuses attention on the death penalty, wrongful convictions, torture, discrimination against women and minorities, and the treatment of migrants. There is also a complete discussion of proposed reforms and reactions by the international community.
Death penalty rate in Saudi Arabia
Only too long has Saudi Arabia remained one of the few nations in the world to employ the death penalty extensively, posting a rather humiliating 196 executions in the last year alone, with the largest mass in several decades that of 81 men. While this serves contrary to assurances made in the past intended to curb the use of the death penalty, one cannot obscure the frightful realization of the objects of these executions being murderers, armed robbers, and “terrorists,” among many others.
Since then, accusations such as “disruption of the social fabric and national cohesion,” as well as taking part in protests, which further stand protected under international human rights law, are also being meted out as capital punishment in the region.
The capital punishment trials in Saudi Arabia are notoriously unfair.
Many reports have indicated various instances where torture and cruel and degrading treatment were used as premises for obtaining confessions. As capital punishment matters are too opaque, many stand to risk execution without a fair trial. In direct contradiction, this conduct blatantly violates international human rights law as far as the right to life and the prohibition against torture are concerned.
Minority groups tend to suffer more from the death penalty, especially the Shia Muslim minority. Systematic prejudice and repression were emphasized when 41 members of this minority group were executed in March 2022. Women, who often fight against such restrictions, such as opposing the tactic of forbidding women to drive, face intimidation and arrest.
Additional restrictions come as constraints on the economy and society. Women face discrimination in occupations and education, despite changes being made to ensure their increased inclusion in the labor force. Apart from that, women remain very vulnerable to abuse, and the judgment that they are subjected to such abuse is complicated by their limited legal protection from sexual harassment, domestic violence, and other forms of abuse.
Severe human rights abuses have been perpetrated against migrants to Saudi Arabia, particularly the Ethiopian ones. Apart from starvation, they are also known to be exposed to bad conditions in detention with little or no access to basic amenities, such as food, water, health care, and sanitation. Torture and other inhumane treatments in custody are said to have resulted in deaths. Another big concern is the forced removal of migrants back to their home countries in ways that do not respect the principles of due process.
Saudi forces have been charged with crimes against humanity through the killing of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers along the Yemen-Saudi border. These acts undermine the lives and dignity of migrants and asylum seekers.
What types of human rights violations are in Saudi Arabia?
The human rights condition in Saudi Arabia is so grim; it involves death sentences, arbitrary trials, torture, discrimination against women and minorities, and violations of migrants. The international community has to pressure Saudi Arabia to bring forth important reforms on issues such as the elimination of the death penalty, the provision of a fair trial, and the provision of rights to all people inside its land. The amendments and changes proposed by the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council provide an essential basis for such changes.
Saudi Arabia must immediately suspend all executions and provide the due process afforded to all capital cases toward eliminating the death penalty for all offenses. There must be no reliance on confessions; they must be free and honest. The government must end systemic discrimination against minority groups to guarantee equal treatment under the law. The overriding objectives of reform should be to eliminate the male guardianship system and to grant equal rights for women under the law and in society. Apart from access to fair judicial procedures and protection from any form of abuse, migrants deserve respect and dignity.