Special Procedures Sent Joint Communication to Saudi Arabia on Jamal Khashoggi

Throughout October 2018, United Nations (UN) Special Procedures sent three separate joint communications to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressing concerns over a myriad of human rights violations, ranging from the targeting of human rights defenders to extrajudicial executions for protest-related offenses committed by minors to arbitrary arrests and detentions. This blog series highlights these[…]

Saudi Arabia Dishes Out Aid to Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen as PR Stunt

On 30 October 2018, documents concerning an agreement made between the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and Saudi Arabia regarding humanitarian aid were leaked. The Guardian reported that foreign aid from Saudi Arabia came with so many strings attached that it could be considered ‘paid publicity’. While all states[…]

Increased Engagement by the United Nations on Saudi Arabia Ahead of the UPR

*This post has been updated to reflect confirmation that ex-patriot Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a planned assassination in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.   Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record is an open secret within the international community. It is home to one of the world’s most repressive governments, especially in[…]

Jamal Khashoggi and Essam al-Zamel: Victims of Saudi Arabia’s Increasing Repression

*This post has been updated to reflect confirmation that Saudi agents assassinated Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. In November 2018, Saudi Arabia will undergo its third review under the United Nations’ (UN) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) framework. Prior to the review, all the UN states will assess Saudi Arabia’s human rights[…]