Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Record in 2015

2015 was a watershed year for human rights in Saudi Arabia. It began last January, with the death of a cautious king whose experiments with limited reforms ended with the Arab Spring. It draws to a close now, having witnessed a near-record setting spate of executions, worsening repression of reformers and political dissidents, and a[…]

Voices from the Ground: Saudi Women Speak on Elections

\إضغط هنا لنسخة عربية Tomorrow, on 12 December 2015, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will hold its third municipal council elections. In accordance with the 2011 declaration of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MOMRA) has officially permitted women to vote and run for seats across the kingdom’s[…]

Mapping the Saudi State, Chapter 9: The National Human Rights Institutions

*Best viewed in full-screen mode. In Mapping the Saudi State, Chapter 9: The National Human Rights Institutions, ADHRB reviews the two permissible human rights organizations within Saudi Arabia: the government-run Human Rights Commission, and the government-influenced National Society for Human Rights (NSHR). In studying their work and advocacy, ADHRB recognizes their positive contributions to the[…]

Saudi Appellate Courts Binging on Frivolous Lawsuits

Judging by the list of people Saudi Arabian courts sentenced in recent weeks, the kingdom seems to be struggling to determine which forms of religious expression are and are not “criminal.” Last week, a Saudi court sentenced Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh to death for apostasy. Saudi Arabia’s religious police arrested Fayadh at a cafe in[…]

NGOs Urge Sec. Kerry to Act in Case of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr

اضغط هنا من أجل نسخة البيان العربية 20 November 2015 — Washington, DC — Today, a collection of 17 organizations and two individuals working on behalf of human rights and international religious freedom sent a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, urging him to press Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to[…]