Elevation of Mohammed bin Salman may not Affect State of Saudi Human Rights

With the elevation of 31-year-old Mohammed bin Salman to the position of Crown Prince – the youngest Crown Prince Saudi Arabia has ever had – there has come a sense of optimism about the future of the kingdom’s socio-economic state. There is hope among activists and the general public that younger leadership will bring about[…]

Saudi Girls Can Attend Gym Class, but Guardianship Still Lurks

On Tuesday 11 July, the Saudi Ministry of Education (MoE) announced that schools will provide physical education classes to girls for the first time in the kingdom’s history. This development marks a rare, if slight loosening of the restrictions placed on women in one of the world’s most restrictive societies. The decision is part of[…]

Saudi Arabia Executes Four Protesters

On 11 July, the Government of Saudi Arabia executed four men from the Eastern Province because of their participation in protests. According to the Saudi Ministry of the Interior, the men, Yusuf al-Msheikhass, Amjad al-Muaybed, Zuhair al-Basri, and Mahdi al-Sayegh, were guilty of a number of terrorism-related crimes. However, according to human rights organizations Amnesty[…]

ADHRB Condemns UK High Court’s Sanction of Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia

10 July 2017 – The United Kingdom’s High Court yesterday rejected a judicial review filed by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) questioning the legality of the UK’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia in light of the kingdom’s deadly involvement in the conflict in Yemen. The High Court’s judgement clears the way for the UK[…]

Saudi Arabia’s Evolving Oil Politics

In a 27 June 2017 article, Bloomberg described a worrying decrease in investors in Saudi Arabia’s industries. The article argues that falling oil prices coupled with ongoing and potential regional conflicts call for an updated economic model to offset the losses of the Gulf state members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Saudi[…]