Although it falls short of the minimal requirements for the eradication of human trafficking, the Saudi Arabian government is working hard to achieve this goal. Saudi Arabia stayed on Tier 2 because the government showed generally greater efforts in comparison to the previous reporting period, taking into account any potential effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on its ability to combat trafficking. In order to increase victim identification among vulnerable migrants, these measures included stepping up training on screening standards in detention centers and border areas as well as carrying out ongoing investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of traffickers.
Systemic discrimination and marginalization
People who peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of expression or association were persecuted by the authorities, and some of them received lengthy prison sentences or death sentences after egregiously unfair trials. After being released from prison on a probationary basis, human rights defenders were still subject to travel restrictions or unlawfully imprisoned. People were executed for a variety of offenses after egregiously unfair trials that resulted in the imposition of death sentences by the courts, including in cases involving minors. Serious human rights violations were inflicted upon migrants, such as murders at the Yemeni border and actions that can be considered human trafficking for the purpose of labor exploitation. A nationwide campaign against unauthorized migrants resulted in the involuntary return of thousands of persons to their country of origin. Laws and practices still discriminated against women.
Repression of freedom of expression and assembly
On November 28, in Brussels, Belgium, Saudi Arabia and the EU had their third human rights dialogue. The European Union expressed apprehension about Saudi Arabia’s persistent implementation of capital punishment, encompassing drug-related charges and non-fatal offenses, in addition to protracted incarceration imposed for social media engagement. The government persisted in detaining people without cause or allowing them to contest the legality of their imprisonment.
They also frequently condemned people to long prison sentences or even executed them on nebulous, “catch-all” charges that criminalize peaceful protest as “terrorism,” violating their right to a fair trial. The 10-year prison term of Egyptian physician Sabry Shalaby was upheld by the Supreme Court on May.2. After an egregiously unjust trial, the SCC found him guilty in August 2022 of joining and endorsing the Muslim Brotherhood, which Saudi Arabia lists as a terrorist organization. During the first ten months of his detention three of which were spent incommunicado he was kept in solitary confinement. He regularly requested to consult a neurologist for health issues resulting from spinal cord surgery during his incarceration, but his pleas were turned down. Furthermore, he was not adequately treated for asthma and cataracts that resulted from underlying medical issues.
Gender inequality and women’s rights abuses
The government also piloted a programme to eliminate employers’ ability to file “absconding” charges against private sector workers, which was previously used as a retaliatory measure to restrict workers’ movements or ability to exercise their rights. The updated victim identification guidelines in the NRM ensured first responders could quickly provide victims with targeted and specialized care.
Nevertheless, in a number of crucial areas, the government fell short of the requirements. The failure of authorities to regularly pursue severe jail sentences for traffickers found guilty undermined attempts to hold traffickers accountable, decreased deterrence, and raised security and safety risks. Because they were not included in the most recent amendments to sponsorship, domestic workers remained at a higher risk of being forced into labor because they did not have the same level of protection under the law from labor laws as other workers in the private sector.
Cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners and detainees
Apart from domestic servants, the government did not provide shelters for male or female victims, nor did it refer the majority of victims to services or care. Additionally, it did not routinely check vulnerable groups for signs of human trafficking, which would have led to some victims being unfairly punished for crimes they had committed as a direct result of being trafficked, such breaking immigration or “prostitution” laws.
Lastly, despite having an anti-trafficking statute, the government failed to prosecute accused complicit officials, including at least one diplomat based outside of Saudi Arabia, for offenses related to trafficking. Hussein Abo al-Kheir, a father of eight children from Jordan, was put to death on March 12. After a blatantly unjust trial, he had been found guilty of narcotics smuggling and given the death penalty. He was deprived of access to legal counsel, kept incommunicado, and subjected to torture in order to extract a “confession” while in pretrial detention. After his death, the authorities did not give his body back to his family.