On 21 August 2025, a new name was added to Saudi Arabia’s alarming and ever-growing list of executions: Jalal Labbad, a young man put to death for alleged crimes committed as a child. His supposed offense was participating as a teenager in the 2011 and 2012 Al-Qatif protests against the systemic discrimination faced by the[…]
03
Sep
Sep
By executing minor Jalal Labad on August 21, 2025, Saudi Arabia has once again exposed its systematic use of capital punishment to silence dissent and eliminate perceived opposition. The killing of Jalal, who was only 17 at the time of his arrest, marks a devastating escalation in the Kingdom’s campaign of repression. According to the[…]
30
Jul
Jul
The Saudi government is well known for its efforts to improve its public image abroad through the practice of sportwashing. Sportwashing refers to the concerted efforts of the Saudi royal house to improve its international reputation by leveraging the vast wealth of their sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, to host large-scale sporting events.[…]
22
Jul
Jul
Football fans tuned in this summer to watch two of the sport’s major tournaments, the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup and the biennial Concacaf Gold Cup, yet few noted the powerful force operating behind the scenes: Saudi Arabia and its Public Investment Fund (PIF). As the Kingdom pours substantial financial resources into these events, accusations[…]
14
Jul
Jul
This year marks ten years since Saudi Arabia imprisoned Waleed Abu al-Khair, one of the country’s most prominent human rights lawyers, for peacefully speaking out in defense of justice and dignity. He was arrested in 2014 and sentenced to 15 years in prison after an unfair trial before the Specialised Criminal Court, which used anti-terrorism[…]
