Saudi Arabia has been long known as the Kingdom of silence and repression, where human rights activists and opponents are prosecuted, forcibly disappeared, arbitrary detained, and tortured in hell-like prisons.
However, Jamal Khashoggi’s murder was a turning point for the Saudi international reputation. The shadow cast by the grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi has hung over Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s image.
In this regard, Human Rights Watch slammed in a press release United States President Joe Biden’s visit to the Kingdom, only two years after he vowed on the campaign trail to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over its pervasive human rights abuses.
United States President Joe Biden vowed on the campaign trail to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over its pervasive human rights abuses. Fast forward two years and he is fist bumping Saudi’s de facto ruler, said Adam Coogle, Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Division.
“With President Biden publicly abandoning his promise of holding Saudi Arabia to account, it’s no surprise their meeting in Jeddah was seen by many as a victory for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).”
“Biden’s new stance comes at a cost to the moral authority of the US. It is also a devastating blow for independent Saudi dissidents and activists demanding a meaningful say in their country’s future.”
Since MBS became the de facto ruler of the Saudi Arabia in 2017, citizens have experienced the worst period of repression in their modern history. Authorities have conducted waves of arrests targeting political dissidents, public intellectuals, and human rights activists, he added.
The September 2017 arrests targeted a number of high-profile figures, including moderate clerics Salman al-Odah and Awad al-Qarni, the academic at the Higher Judicial Institute Abdulaziz Al-Fawzan, the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca Saleh Al-Talib, and Dr. Safar Al-Hawali.
The wave of arrests also targeted powerful business figures including Issam Al-Zamel, Abdullah Al-Maliki, Jamil Farsi, and Mustafa Al-Hassan, who was later released over health ground, in addition to journalists, feminist and human rights activists.
The Saudi authorities are imposing a total media blackout on the detention and health conditions of many detainees, amid reports of health deterioration of many of them due to the torture and ill-treatment they are constantly subjected to.
Over the past few days, the Saudi Supreme Court overturned a decision to release Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Abdullatif after completing his prison sentence. The court further decided to retry him.
The September 2017 arrests targeted a number of high-profile figures, including moderate clerics Salman al-Odah and Awad al-Qarni, the academic at the Higher Judicial Institute Abdulaziz Al-Fawzan, the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca Saleh Al-Talib, and Dr. Safar Al-Hawali.
The wave of arrests also targeted powerful business figures including Issam Al-Zamel, Abdullah Al-Maliki, Jamil Farsi, and Mustafa Al-Hassan, who was later released over health ground, in addition to journalists, feminist and human rights activists.
The Saudi authorities are imposing a total media blackout on the detention and health conditions of many detainees, amid reports of health deterioration of many of them due to the torture and ill-treatment they are constantly subjected to.
Over the past few days, the Saudi Supreme Court overturned a decision to release Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Abdullatif after completing his prison sentence. The court further decided to retry him.
Sanad human rights organisation also confirmed that the political detainee Dr. Saud Al-Sarhan suffers a severe health deterioration after months of being detained in a security headquarters.
Saudi female detainees Twitter account also called for mass support to Saudi female detainees held in Saudi notorious jails including: Aida Al-Ghamdi, Israa Al-Ghomgham, Mona Al-Bayali, Lina Al-Sharif, Fatima Nassif, Dalal Al-Khalil, Yasmine Al-Ghafeili, Maha Al-Rafidi, Zana Al-Shehri, Sarah Al-Jabri, Zainab Al-Hashemi and Asma Al-Subaie.
For its part, Amnesty International said that Saudi Arabia and Egypt ruthlessly persisted with executions over the past years, making them some of the world’s most prolific executioners.
