Human rights in Saudi Arabia are meant to be based on Hanbali's Islamic law under the absolute power of the Saudi royal family.
The strict rules governing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are consistently among the "worst of the worst" in Freedom House's annual survey on political and civil rights.
Qorvis MSLGroup, a US subsidiary of Publicis Groupe, in the midst of the execution of protesters and political opponents, has been working with Saudi Arabia for more than a decade to cover its record of human rights.
Video Human rights in Saudi Arabia
Physical punishment
Saudi Arabia is one of about thirty countries in the world with corporal punishment. In the case of Saudi Arabia this includes amputation of hands and feet for robbery, and whips for lower crimes such as "sexual deviation" and drunkenness. In the 2000s, it was reported that women were punished for lashes for adultery; the women were actually the victims of rape, but because they could not prove who the perpetrators were, they were found guilty of committing adultery. The number of lashes is not clearly defined by law and varies according to the judge's discretion, and ranges from dozens of lashes to several hundred, usually applied for several weeks or months. In 2004, the United Nations Committee Against Torture criticized Saudi Arabia for amputations and caning committed under Sharia. The Saudi delegation responded to defend the "legal tradition" that was held since the start of Islam 1,400 years ago and refused to intervene in its legal system.
The court continued to impose a caning as a substantial or additional penalty for many offenses. At least five defendants were sentenced to 1,000 to 2,500 lashes. Caning is done in prison.
In 2009, Mazen Abdul-Jawad was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and five years in prison for boasting a Saudi TV show about his sexual exploitation.
In 2014, Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, his sentence increased to 1,000 lashes and ten years in prison after he was accused of apostasy in 2012. The blow will happen for 20 weeks. The first round (50) was held on January 9, 2015, but the second round has been postponed due to medical problems. The case is internationally criticized and puts considerable pressure on the Saudi legal system.
In October 2015, British pensioner and cancer survivor, Karl Andree, who is 74 years old, faces 360 lashes to brew alcohol at home. His family fears punishment could kill him. However, he was released and returned home in November of that year.
In 2016, a Saudi man was sentenced to 2,000 lashes, ten years in jail and a 20,000 riyal fine ($ 5,300) for making tweets criticizing Islam, and denying the existence of God.
Maps Human rights in Saudi Arabia
Torture
While Saudi Arabia's Criminal Procedure Code prohibits "torture" and "non-dignity" (art 2) in the practice of torture and the use of torture to extract forced confessions of guilt remains public.
According to Amnesty International, security forces continue to torture and persecute detainees for issuing confessions to use as evidence against them in court. According to the organization, 32 defendants accused of spying for Iran were subjected to torture and forced to confess. The detainees were detained without communication and denied access to their families.
Death penalty; right to representation
Saudi Arabia is involved in the death penalty, including public execution by beheading. Death penalty may be imposed for various offenses including murder, rape, armed robbery, recurrent drug use, apostasy, adultery, witchcraft and magic and can be done by beheading with a sword, stoning or firing squad, followed by crucifixion.. In 2005 there were 191 executions, in 2006 there were 38, in 2007 there were 153, and in 2008 there were 102.
A spokesman for the National Society for Human Rights, an organization funded by the Saudi Government, said that the number of executions increased as crime rates increased, that prisoners were treated humanely, and beheadings punish crime, saying, "God, our creator, knows who what is good for His people... Should we only think and defend the rights of the killer and not think about the rights of others? "
Saudi police and immigration authorities routinely torture people who are stopped or detained, especially workers from developing countries. Earlier in November 2013, authorities received criticism over the way they planned and dealt with the crackdown on illegal workers. Saudi authorities - in some cases with the help of citizens - gathered many illegal workers and physically tortured them.
Human trafficking
Saudi Arabia is a destination country for trafficked men and women for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Men and women from Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and many other countries volunteered to travel to Saudi Arabia as domestic servants or other low-skilled workers, but some later faced conditions that indicated forced servitude.
Women, especially from Asian and African countries are trafficked to Saudi Arabia for commercial sexual exploitation; the other was abducted and forced to become prostitutes after escaping from a cruel employer.
History of slavery
The government abolished slavery in 1962, purchasing the freedom of each slave to nearly 5,000 Saudi riyals each. This emancipation follows US President John F. Kennedy's request to Saudi Prime Minister Faisal.
Sexual slavery
Some Saudi men have also used "temporary marriage" contracts in countries such as Mauritania, Yemen and Indonesia as a means to sexually exploit migrant workers. Women are led to believe that they are genuinely married, but upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia then become their husbands sexual slave, forced to become domestic workers and, in some cases, prostitution.
Women's rights
Saudi women face discrimination in many aspects of their lives, such as the justice system, and under the male guardianship system are effectively treated as legitimate minors. Although they make up 70% of those enrolled in universities, for social reasons, women make up 5% of the workforce in Saudi Arabia, the lowest proportion in the world. The treatment of women has been referred to as "sex segregation" and "gender apartheid". Implementation of government resolutions supporting the expansion of employment opportunities for women encountered resistance from within the ministry of labor, from religious police, and from male citizens.
In many parts of Saudi Arabia, it is believed that where a woman at home takes care of her husband and family, but there are some women who disobey these views and practices, and some run the house instead of their own husbands.. In addition, there are also several types of segregation at home, such as different entrances for men and women.
Women's rights are at the heart of the call for reform in Saudi Arabia - a call that challenges the royal political status quo. Local and international women's groups also encourage the government to respond, taking advantage of the fact that some rulers are eager to project a more progressive image to the West. Since 2009, women and male supporters have organized anti-guardianship campaigns for men.
The presence of strong business women - still a rare sight - in some groups it helps make them heard. Prior to 2008, women were not allowed to enter hotels and apartments without an escort or mahram. However, by Royal Decree 2008, the only requirement for a woman to be allowed to enter the hotel is a national identity card, and the hotel must notify the nearest police station of their room reservation and length of stay; However, this happened with everyone staying at the hotel. In April 2010, new and optional ID cards for women were issued allowing them to travel in countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The cards include GPS tracking, fingerprints and features that make them difficult to forge. Women do not need male permission to apply for a card, but need to travel abroad. Proponents argue that a new female identity card allows a woman to perform her activities easily, and prevent forgery being made on behalf of women.
The woman first joined the Saudi Arabia Consultative Assembly in 2013, occupying thirty seats. Subsequently, that year three women were appointed vice-chairmen of three committees. Dr. Thurayya Obeid was appointed Vice Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights and Petition, Dr. Zainab Abu Talib, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Information and Culture; Lubna Al-Ansari, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Health and Environment Affairs.
In 2013 the Directorate General of Passports allows Saudi women to marry foreigners to sponsor their children, so that children can have a residence permit (iqamas) with their sponsors, and have the right to work in the private sector in Saudi Arabia. while on the sponsors of their mothers, and mothers can also bring their children living abroad back to Saudi Arabia if they do not have criminal records. Foreign men who marry Saudi women are also given the right to work in the private sector in Saudi Arabia while on sponsorship of their wives provided that the title on their iqamas should be written as "the husband of a Saudi wife" and that they must have a valid passport which allows them to return to their homes anytime. Saudi women who marry foreigners, however, still face difficulties in handing their citizenship to their children.
Also in 2013, Saudi Arabia enrolled female trainee's first attorney, Arwa al-Hujaili.
According to the CIA world fact book, 82.2% of women are literate, compared with 90.8% literacy rates in men.
Driving
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are forbidden to drive motor vehicles until the end of 2017. The prohibition of driving is not in law, but is an informal "religious fatwa" imposed by Muslim conservative clerics to defend the country's traditions. segregation of gender, although this religious outlook has changed in recent years. In 1990, when 47 Saudi women drove through the streets of Riyadh in protest against the ban, the protesters were punished. "All drivers, and their husbands, are prohibited from traveling abroad for a year, women who have government jobs are dismissed, once their employers know, and from hundreds of mosque pulpits they are denounced in the name of immoral women to destroy Saudi society.
When the driving ban comes into effect, the women complain that "we can not move without a man." Many are unable to afford the driver, and some buses operating in towns and cities across the Kingdom do not follow the set schedule. On October 26, 2013, a group of women began a movement to oppose the ban by driving alone. However, on October 23, in "a rare and explicit repetition of the ban", Interior Ministry Spokesman General Mansur al-Turki warned, "It is known that women in Saudi are prohibited from driving and laws will be applied against offenders and they who showed support. "In December 2014, two women were arrested and sentenced to nearly one month in prison for opposing the ban on women's driving.
Women were allowed to fly planes, even though they had to be contracted to the airport. A Saudi woman made the news in 2007 when she became the first woman to get her pilot license. The woman, Hanadi al-Hindi works for Saudi Prince Al Waleed.
Hisyam Fageeh, a Saudi who lives in the US, has made a video that refers to Government regulations that prevent women from driving. The video was released on the same day many women in Saudi Arabia launched a national protest against the Government.
In 2015, a Saudi woman working in neighboring UAE was arrested when she tried to enter Saudi Arabia. He has a passport taken from him and is forced to wait on the Saudi-UAE border with no food or water. He claims that his UAE driving license is valid in all GCC countries, but the Saudi border authorities refuse to recognize its validity.
In 2017, a government decision was issued to allow women to drive.
Racism
Racism in Saudi Arabia includes allegations of imprisonment, physical torture, rape, forced labor, and wage theft, especially foreign workers who are given little protection under the law.
Migrant worker rights
According to Amnesty's 2016 annual report, Saudi authorities continue their crackdown on illegal migrants, detaining and deporting hundreds of thousands of them.
The organization said that tens of thousands were fired unpaid for months and left stranded without food, water or exit visas
Antisemitism
Saudi media often attack Jews in books, news articles, in their mosques and with what some have described as satirical antisemitism. Saudi government officials and state religious leaders often promote the idea that Jews conspire to take over the whole world; as proof of their claim, they publish and often cite the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as facts.
Sectarianism and religious freedom
The Saudi government is often viewed as an active supporter of Shiite Muslims because Wahabbi's ideological funding denounces Shiite beliefs.
In 1988 the fatwa passed by the country's leading scholars, Abdul-Aziz ibn Baz condemned Shiites as apostates. Another by Abdul-Rahman al-Jibrin, a member of the High Council of Ulama who said
Some say that the rejectionist ( Rafidha , the Shia) are Muslims because they believe in God and His prophets, praying and fasting. But I say they are heretics. They are the most violent Muslim enemies, who must be aware of their plans. They must be boycotted and expelled so that Muslims can be avoided from their crimes.
According to Vali Nasr, al-Jibrin sanctions for the killing of Shiites were reaffirmed in Wahabi religious literature in late 2002.
According to a 2009 Human Rights Watch report, Shiites in Saudi Arabia "face systematic discrimination in religion, education, justice and work".
Saudi Arabia has no cabinet ministers, mayors or Shiite police chiefs, according to another source, Vali Nasr, unlike other countries with large Shiite populations (such as Iraq and Lebanon). Shias were spared from "important work" in the armed forces and the security services, and none of the three hundred Shiite women schools in the Eastern Province had a Shiite schoolmaster.
Pakistani columnist Mohammad Taqi has written that "the Saudi regime is also well aware that, in the last analysis, the Shi'ite grievances... are derived from socio-economic deprivation, as a result of religious oppression and political marginalization adjacent to apartheid."
Testifying before the US Congressional Human Caucus Congress, Ali al-Ahmed, Director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, declared
Saudi Arabia is a striking example of religious apartheid. Religious institutions from government scholars to judges, to religious curricula, and all religious instruction in the media are limited to Wahhabi understanding of Islam, which is adhered to by less than 40% of the population. The Saudi government communicates Islam, through its monopoly of religious thought and practice. Wahhabi Islam is enforced and applied to all Saudis irrespective of their religious orientation. Wahhabi sects do not tolerate other religious or ideological beliefs, Muslims or not. Religious symbols by Muslims, Christians, Jews and other believers are all forbidden. The Saudi Embassy in Washington is a living example of religious apartheid. In 50 years, there has not been a non-Sunni Muslim diplomat at the embassy. The University of Imam Mohamed Bin Saud's branch in Fairfax, Virginia instructed his students that Shia Islam is a Jewish conspiracy.
In November 2014 in the village of al-Dalwah in eastern al-Ahsa province, three unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Husseiniya, or Shiite religious center, killing eight people and injuring dozens.
While government and official media and religious institutions have strongly condemned the attack, several articles in the Saudi media claimed that the attack "did not come from anywhere", that there was anti-Shia incitement in the kingdom on the part of "religious establishment, preacher, and even university lecturer - and it's on the rise ".
The Saudi government has refused to allow Shiite teachers and students to be released from the school to take part in activities for the Day of Ashura, one of the most important religious days for Shiite Muslims commemorating the martyrdom of Muhammad's grandson, Husain bin Ali. In 2009, during Ashura's call, Shiite religious leaders and communities were arrested.
Shia are forbidden to build mosques and other religious centers, and are forced to pray Friday in homes (Al-Hassan). In the eastern city of Al-Khobar, whose population is predominantly Shia, there is no Shiite mosque. Saudi Arabia's religious police mandate prayers and everyone in public buildings during prayer time are asked to stop what they are doing to pray. Because there is a small difference between the Shiite and Sunni ways of praying and between prayer times, the Shia are forced to pray in the Sunni way or rest from work.
In 2009 a group of Shiites in their journey to pilgrimage pilgrimage (one of the five pillars of Islam that all able-bodied Muslims are asked to do once in their lives) in Mecca was arrested by Saudi religious police. Between 20 and 24 February 2009, Shi'ite pilgrims from the Eastern Shia Province who came to Madinah for the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's death were at odds with the Sunni religious police at Baqi cemetery due to doctrinal differences regarding the rituals surrounding the death warning. Security forces shot a 15-year-old pilgrim in the chest, and an unknown civilian stabbed a Shiite sheikh behind a knife, shouting, "Kill the one who rejects [the Shia]." Authorities denied that anyone was injured, and played down the arrest of Shi'ite pilgrims.
Religious police have arrested Shia Women in the Eastern Province for trivial matters such as arranging classes for Qur'an studies and selling clothes for religious ceremonies as if they were involved in political activities not allowed in KSA.
In the eastern city of Dammam where three quarters of 400,000 people are Shi'a, there is no Shiite mosque or prayer hall, no Shi'ite call for broadcasting of prayers on TV, and no burial for the Shi'a.
Late in 2011, a Shiite pilgrim was accused of "engaging in religious blasphemy" and sentenced to 500 lashes and two years in prison. Also late 2011, a leading cleric from Canada, Usamah al-Attar. He was released on the same day, stating the arrest was entirely unwarranted.
Much of education in Saudi Arabia is based on Sunni Wahhabi religious material. From a very young age, students are taught that Shi'ites are not Muslims and that the Shia are a conspiracy destined by the Jews, and thus the Shiites are worthy of death. Wahabi government scholars, such as Abdulqader Shaibat al-Hamd, have proclaimed on state radio that Sunni Muslims should not "eat their [Shia] food, marry them, or bury their dead in Muslim graves".
The government has limited the names that Shias can use for their children in an attempt to prevent them from showing their identity. Saudi textbooks are hostile to Shias, often characterizing faith as a worse form of heresy than Christianity and Judaism.
Because anti-Shia attitudes take root from an early age, they are passed down from generation to generation. This prejudice is found not only in textbooks (often characterizing faith as a worse form of heresy than Christianity and Judaism), but also in classroom teachers, and even in universities. (Wahhabi) teachers often say the classroom is full of young Shiite school children that they are heretics. Teachers who claim that Shi'ites are atheists and deserve to die do not face the consequences of their actions, barely even receive punishment. At a seminar on the Internet, held at King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology, Professor Dr. Bader Hmood Albader explains that the internet is beneficial to the community, but there are many Shiite websites claiming to be Muslim websites, which need to be stopped.
A lot of discrimination occurs in the Saudi labor force as well. Shia are forbidden to be teachers of religious subjects, which constitute about half of the courses in secondary education. Shia can not be a principal. Some Shiites have become university professors but often face harassment from students and lecturers. Shiites were disqualified as witnesses in court, as Sunni Saudi sources cited Shi'ite practices of 'Taqiyya' - where it is permissible to lie when they are in fear or at risk of significant persecution. Shiites can not function as judges in ordinary courts, and are barred from entering the military academy, and from high-ranking government officials or security posts, including being pilots on Saudi Airlines.
Amir Taheri quoted a Shiite businessman from Dhahran who said, "It is not normal that there are no military officers, ministers, governors, mayors and Shi'ite ambassadors in this kingdom. This form of religious apartheid can not be tolerated as apartheid is based on races. "
Human Rights Watch reports that Shiites want to be treated equally and want to be free from discrimination (Human Rights Watch). However, the Shia minority is still marginalized on a large scale.
Freedom of religion and belief
Saudi Arabia's law does not recognize religious freedom, and the general practice of non-Muslim religion is actively prohibited. There is no law specifically requiring citizens to become Muslims, but section 12.4 of the Naturalization Act requires that applicants prove their religious affiliation, and article 14.1 requires applicants to obtain certificates authorized by their local clerics. The government has declared the Quran and Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad to be the state constitution. Neither the Government nor society generally accept the concept of separation of religion and state, and such separation does not exist. The legal system is based on Sharia (Islamic law), with Sharia courts basing their judgment largely on code derived from the Qur'an and Sunna. According to Human Rights Watch, Saudi Arabia "systematically discriminates against its Muslim religious minorities, especially Shiites and Isma'ilis", but the Government allows Shia Muslims to use their own legal traditions to prosecute non-dirty cases in their communities.
In 2014, Saudi Arabia introduced a new "anti-terrorism" law. Human Rights Watch criticizes the broad language of the relevant governmental laws and decisions, which have been used to prosecute and punish peaceful political activists and opposition. HEW stated, "Recent laws and regulations have changed almost all critical expressions or independent associations into terrorism crimes." A number of prominent human rights activists were arrested under new laws, including Waleed Abulkhair and Mikhlif Alshammari. The Interior Ministry's regulation also defines "calling on atheist thoughts in any form, or questioning the fundamentals of Islamic religion which is the foundation of this country" as terrorism.
Christianity
Under Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican officials have raised the issue that Christians are forbidden to worship openly in Saudi Arabia. As an Islamic country, Saudi Arabia provides special treatment for Muslims. During Ramadan, eating, drinking, or smoking in a public place during the daytime is not permitted. Overseas schools are often asked to teach an annual introductory segment on Islam. Saudi religious police have arrested Shia pilgrims who participated in the pilgrimage, allegedly calling them "kafirs in Mecca". The restriction on the branch of Shia Islam in the Kingdom along with the prohibition of displaying Jewish, Hindu and Christian symbols has been termed as apartheid.
The Saudi government has gone further than stopping Christians from worshiping in publicly-appointed buildings to even attack private prayer meetings among Christians in their own homes. On December 15, 2011, Saudi security forces arrested 35 Ethiopian Christians in Jeddah who were praying in a house, beating them and threatening them with death. When Ethiopian employers asked the security forces for what reason they were arrested, they said "to practice Christianity". Then, under mounting international pressure, the allegations were changed to "mixed with the opposite sex". Freedom of religion, including the freedom of gathering together for worship and prayer, is a fundamental right recognized under international human rights law.
In December 2012, Saudi religious police arrested more than 41 people after storming a house in the Saudi province of al-Jouf. They are accused of "planning to celebrate Christmas," according to a Dec. 26 statement issued by the police station. It should be noted that da'wah by non-Muslims, including the distribution of non-Muslim religious material such as the Bible, is illegal.
Shia Muslims
The Saudi government is often seen as an active suppressor of the Shiites due to Wahabbi's ideological funding which denounced Shia beliefs. In 1988 the fatwa passed by the country's leading scholars, Abdul-Aziz ibn Baz condemned Shiites as apostates. Abdul-Rahman al-Jibrin, a member of the High Council of the Ulema approved the assassination of the Shiites in 1994. According to Vali Nasr, this is still reaffirmed in the Wahabi religious literature in 2002. In 2007 al-Jibrin wrote that [Shi'ah] the most violent, to be aware of their plans. " According to Human Rights Watch 2009 report, Shiites in Saudi Arabia "face systematic discrimination in religion, education, justice, and occupation".
In January 2016, Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr, who called for a pro-democracy demonstration, along with forty other Saudis who were sentenced by the Special Criminal Court on terrorism charges.
Since May 2017 in response to protests against the government, the predominantly Shiite city of Al-Awamiyah has been under siege by the Saudi military. Residents are not allowed in or out, and the military indiscriminately bomb the environment with air strikes, mortars and artillery fire along with snipers firing at citizens. Dozens of Shia civilians were killed, including children aged three and two. The Saudi government claims it is fighting terrorists in al-Awamiyah.
Residents also reported soldiers firing on houses, cars, and everyone on the streets.
During the crackdown, the Saudi government destroyed several historic sites and many other buildings and houses in Qatif.
On July 26, 2017, the Saudi government began refusing to provide emergency services to injured civilians. Saudi Arabia also does not provide humanitarian aid to trap Awamiyah citizens.
In August 2017, it was reported that the Saudi government destroyed 488 buildings in Awamiyah. This demolition comes from the siege of the city by the Saudi government, as it continues to strive to prevent the townspeople from getting their rights.
20,000 residents were forced to flee their homes to survive.
The President of the Quran Council and two cousins ​​of the executed Nimr al-Nimr were also killed by Saudi security forces in Qatif in 2017. Magic, _witchcraft_and_sorcery "'> Magic, magic and magic"
According to Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch in 2009, "Saudi judges have harshly acknowledged 'magicians' for what was the worst of seemingly fraudulent, but possibly harmless actions." In 2009 Saudi religious "police" formed a special "Anti-Magic Unit" to educate the public, investigate and combat witchcraft.
Among those executed in Arabia for witchcraft and magic (and often other accusations) are Egyptian pharmacist Mustafa Ibrahim (beheaded in 2007 in Riyadh), Muree bin Ali bin Issa al-Asiri (found to have a talisman, and executed in the province of Najran in June 2012), Amina bin Salem Nasser (executed in December 2011 in Jawf), and Abdul Hamid Bin Hussain Bin Moustafa al-Fakki (a Sudanese migrant worker executed in a car park in Madinah on September 20, 2011). Ali Hussain Sibat, a Lebanese host of popular predicting TV programs, was arrested while in Saudi Arabia in May 2008 in Umrah and sentenced to death but eventually released around 2011 or 2012.
Many magic convicts receive a whip and/or lower jail sentence. In 2011, "Anti-Magic Unit" processed more than 586 cases of magical crime. In 2012 there are 215 magic captures performed. The majority of these violators are foreign domestic workers from Africa and Indonesia. Foreign domestic workers carrying unreliable traditional customs or customs are influenced by anti-magic campaigns according to Human Rights Watch researchers Adam Coogle and Cristoph Wilcke. The Saudis consider the practices of the people as "a kind of magic or magic" and widespread belief in magic means it can be used as a defense in Sharia courts against workers who complain of ill-treatment by Saudi employers. Human Rights Watch believes that the belief of a Syrian, 'Abd al-Karim Mara'I al-Naqshabandi - was executed in 1996 to perform `the practice of magic works and spells and possession of a collection of polytheistic and superstitious books` - actually the result of a dispute with his employer Prince Salman bin Sa'ud bin `Abd al`Aziz, King Fahd's nephew.
Press freedom and communication
Speech, press and other forms of communicative media, including television and radio broadcasts and Internet reception, are actively censored by governments to prevent political dissent and anything that the government considers to offend the Wahhabi culture or Islamic morality.
In 2008, a prominent Saudi blogger and reformist Fouad al-Farhan was jailed for posting critical online comments on Saudi businesses, religious figures and the media, signaling a move by the government to improve its censorship of the internet within its borders. He was released on April 26, 2008.
Online social media is increasingly becoming the government's spotlight to address the "forbidden" topic. In 2010 a Saudi man was fined and given prison time for the production of a sexually explicit YouTube video. In the same year another man was also imprisoned and ordered to pay a fine for boasting about his sex life on television.
D Z , a development-focused magazine, reported that hundreds of people were arrested to limit freedom of expression. Many of these people are detained without trial and in secret. The torture of these prisoners was also found to be prevalent.
On December 17, 2012, blogger Raif Badawi was charged with apostasy, which carries the death penalty. Badawi is the editor and co-founder of Free Saudi Liberals, a website for religious discussions. The Human Rights Watch organization has asked for charges against him to be dropped. He has been sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes for "insulting Islam", but this sentence was changed to 1,000 lashes, 10 years in prison, and an additional 1,000,000 Saudi Riyals. Eyelashes are given every Friday for 20 weeks, 50 lashes at a time.
Saudi novelist and Turkish political analyst al-Hamad was arrested on December 24, 2012 after a series of tweets on religion and other topics. The arrest was ordered by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Nayef; But allegations against al-Hamad were not made public. He has been released.
In July 2015, Waleed Abulkhair, a prominent human rights lawyer, founder of the Human Rights Monitor in Saudi Arabia and the recipient of the 2012 Palm prize for human rights, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a special criminal court in Riyadh for being unclear. violations such as "setting up an unlicensed organization."
On November 17, 2015, Ashraf Fayadh, a Palestinian poet and contemporary artist, has been sentenced to death under charges of apostasy. Fayadh was detained by religious police in the country by 2013 in Abha, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, and then recaptured and tried in early 2014. He is accused of promoting atheism in his poem of 2008 Instruction In . However, the religious police failed to prove that his poetry was atheist propaganda and supporters Fayadh believed he was punished by militants for posting an online video showing a man publicly lashed by religious police in Abha. Adam Coogle, Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch, said Fayadh's death sentence shows "complete intolerance of Saudi Arabia against anyone who may not share the religious, political and social views mandated by the government".
On July 15, 2015, the writer and commentator of Saudi Arabia. Zuhair Kutbi has been sentenced to four years in prison without any apparent allegations after an interview on Rotana Khaleejia TV channel where he discussed his ideas for peace reform in Saudi Arabia to become a constitutional monarchy, and talked about combating religious and political repression. Lawyer and son Zuhair Kutbi said half his sentence was suspended, but he also banned writing for 15 years and traveled abroad for five years, and fined $ 26,600.
February 2017, Human Rights Watch issued a report on violation of free speech in Saudi Arabia. According to the report, since 2010, at least 20 prominent Saudi dissidents have been sentenced to long term prison terms, a travel ban for several years for violating allegiance with the authorities or participating in protests for claiming their rights and others. As the report shows, the government has tried to silence anyone who dared to express his views on religion, politics, or human rights. On April 17, 2011, Nadhir al-Majed, 39, a famous writer, was arrested at school and held for 15 months. On January 18, 2017. he was sentenced to seven years in prison and a seven-year travel ban; he is also not allowed to call his family and receive visits as well. The conviction is based on "his participation in protests in 2011 on discrimination against Shi'ites" and "his communications with the international media and human rights organizations", supporting Shia rights in the country. On January 10, Abdulaziz al-Shubaily, 31, a human rights activist, was sentenced to eight years in prison, an eight-year ban on social media after his release and an eight-year travel ban; and the indictment includes "its instigation of the government and the courts" and its "communications with international agencies against its government". He remains free on bail. On Jan. 8, Essam Koshak, 45, was detained without charge; but he uses a medial social that highlights Saudi Arabia's repression of dissident writers and dissidents and supports their liberation. Since 2014, almost all Saudi dissidents have been sentenced to long term prison terms based on their activism in addition to the arrest of all activists associated with the Saudi Civil Rights and Political Association, which were dissolved in March 2013.
Making a critical post against the government on social media can be punished by death penalty.
Political freedom
The 1990s marked a period of slow political liberalization in the kingdom when the government created a written constitution, and consultative consultative council, the latter being a delegate appointed by Saudi scholars and professionals who were allowed to advise the king. Some political dissidents are released from prison, after agreeing to dissolve their political parties. In 2005, adult males were allowed to elect some municipal seats, although plans for future elections, which may include adult women, have been detained indefinitely.
Political parties were banned, but some political dissidents were freed in the 1990s on condition that they dissolve their political parties. Currently, only the Saudi Arabia Green Party is left, though this is an illegal organization. Trade unions are also banned, but the government has granted permission for Saudis to form some private societies, which are allowed to do some humanitarian work within the kingdom.
Public demonstrations or acts of public dissent are prohibited. In April 2011, during the protests of Saudi Arabia 2011-2012, the kingdom made a crime to publish any criticisms that harm the reputation of government or religious leaders, or that harm the interests of the state.
According to Human Rights Watch's 2016 annual report, Saudi Arabia continues to prosecute pro-reform activists and dissidents. The Saudi terror court sentenced Waleed Abu al-Khair, a prominent activist, to 15 years. He was convicted of allegations of his peaceful criticism of the human rights situation in his country. In July, authorities arrested Zuhair Kutbi, an activist, for his discussion of peaceful reforms in the media. In September 2015, all founders of the prohibited Political Civil Association (ACPRA) were barred from imprisonment.
Political prisoners
Prisoners have been detained as political prisoners in Saudi Arabia during the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Protests and sit-ins for political prisoners to be released occurred during Saudi Arabia 2011-2012 protests in many cities across Saudi Arabia, with security forces firing live bullets in the air on August 19, 2012 at a protest at al-Ha 'prison. In 2012, the latest estimates of the number of political prisoners in Mabahith prison range from zero estimates by the Interior Ministry to 30,000 by the UK-based Commission on Human Rights and the BBC.
Stateless people
There are 70,000 stateless people in Saudi Arabia, also known as Bedoon. Some stateless people are Yemeni people who moved to Saudi Arabia, before the border was enacted.
This problem is also prevalent in neighboring UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
Human rights organization
The Human Rights Defense Committee of the Arabian Peninsula is a Saudi-based human rights organization based in Beirut since 1992.
The first human rights institute was implemented unsuccessfully for a government license in 2002, but was allowed to function informally. In 2004, the National Association of Human Rights, associated with the Saudi government, was created. Most of the commission's directors are members of the Saudi "religious and political establishment" according to John R. Bradley. The Association for the Protection and Defense of Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia was created in 2007 and also not licensed.
The Association of Civil Rights and Politics of Arabia (ACPRA) was formed in 2009. One of the founders, Mohammed Saleh al-Bejadi, was arbitrarily arrested by Mabahith, the internal security agency, on March 21, 2011, during the Saudi Arabia 2011 protests. Al-Bejadi was indicted in the Special Criminal Court in August 2011 for "rebellion against the authorities, inciting demonstrations, and talking to foreign media channels." Another founder, Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani, was indicted for his human rights activities in June 2012.
Sixteen people who attempted to create a human rights organization in 2007 were arrested in February 2007, charged in August 2010, and convicted on November 22, 2011 for "establishing a secret organization, seeking to seize power, inciting the King, financing terrorism, and money laundering "and was sentenced by a Special Criminal Court for 5-30 years imprisonment, which must be followed by travel restrictions. They appealed on January 22, 2012.
The Society for Development and Change was formed in September 2011 and campaigned for equal human rights for Shia in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The organization called for the constitution and legislature elected to the Eastern Province.
LGBT Rights
The rights of LGBT in Saudi Arabia are not known. Homosexuality is often taboo in Saudi society and punishable by imprisonment, corporal punishment and capital punishment. Transgenderism is generally associated with homosexuality and doctors are banned by the Saudi Ministry of Health to provide hormone replacement therapy to transsexual patients. (source needed) By 2017 two transgender Pakistanis are tortured to death by Saudi police.
HIV/AIDS
By law, all Saudi citizens who are infected with HIV or AIDS are entitled to free medical care, protection of their privacy and employment. However, most hospitals will not treat infected patients, and many schools and hospitals are reluctant to distribute government information about the disease because of the strong taboos and stigma attached to how the virus can spread.
Until the late 1990s, information on HIV/AIDS was not widely available to the public, but this has begun to change. In the late 1990s, the government began to recognize World AIDS Day and allow information about the disease to be published in newspapers. The number of people living in the infected kingdom is a closely guarded secret. However, in 2003 the government announced the number of known HIV/AIDS cases in the country to 6,700, and more than 10,000 in June 2008.
Any foreigner found to be infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS (or, indeed, other serious medical conditions), is deported to their home country. Condoms are available in hospitals and pharmacies, and in some supermarkets as well.
International convention
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ratified the International Convention against Torture in October 1997 according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Saudi Arabia's human rights are defined in article 26 of the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia. Newly formed human rights organizations include Human Rights First Society (2002), Women's Rights and Defense Rights Association in Saudi Arabia (2007), Association of Civil Rights and Politics of Arabia (2009) and the National Association of Human Rights related to government (2004). In 2008, the Shura Council ratified the Arab Charter on Human Rights. In 2011, the Special Criminal Court was used to prosecute and punish human rights activists.
Responses and criticism
The UN Special Rapporteur on Counter Terrorism, Ben Emmerson, criticized Saudi Arabia for violating human rights in the name of combating terrorism during its visit to Saudi Arabia from April 30 to May 4, 2017. According to the report, Saudi Arabia used the terrorism court and counterterrorism law to fair demands for human rights defenders, authors, and peace critics.
At the Third Millennium Summit of the United States in New York City, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz defended Saudi Arabia's position on human rights, saying "It is unreasonable to impose on individuals or the rights of people alien to their beliefs or principles."
See also
- Saudi Arabian legal system
- LGBT Rights in Saudi Arabia
- Shiite Islam in Saudi Arabia
- Human rights in Islamic countries
- Human rights in the Middle East
- The first women's suffrage timeline in a Muslim-majority country
References
Saudi Arabia's oppression of opponents of human rights activists
Further reading
- Laube, Lydia (2003). Behind Veil: A Nurse's Arabian Nightmare . Eye Book. ISBNÃ, 1-903070-19-8. OCLCÃ, 51994153.
- Mitchell, Sandy Hollingsworth, Mark (2006). Saudi Babylon: Torture, Corruption and Hiding within the House of Saud . Mainstream Publishing. ISBN: 1-84596-185-4. OCLCÃ, 225546299. Ã, CS1 maint: Many names: list of authors (links)
- Sasson, Jean (2001). Daughter: The Real Life Story Behind Veil in Saudi Arabia . Books Windsor-Brooke. ISBN: 0-9676737-4-7. OCLCÃ, 46766141.
- Jones, John Paul. If Olaya Street Can Speak: Saudi Arabia - The Heartland of Oil and Islam . The Taza Press (2007) ISBN 0-9790436-0-3. Ã,
External links
- Saudi Arabia Review by Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council, 6 February 2009
- Where Saudi people will send the most dangerous
- "Amnesty International - Saudi Arabia: End Secrecy, End Suffering". Archived from the original in 2007-02-02.
- "Is Saudi Arabia Preaching Intolerance in the West?" (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) in 2007-02-07.
- Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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