Saudi Foreign Minister Addresses UN HRC, Ignores Rights Abuses

27 February 2018 – Today Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, delivered remarks at the 37th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva during the high-level segment. In his speech, al-Jubeir raised Saudi Arabia’s efforts to fight terrorism around the world as one of the kingdom’s highest priorities. He also[…]

British Lawyers Calling for Saudi Arabia to be removed from the UN Human Rights Council

Although Saudi Arabia’s seat on the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council does not expire until 2019, several British lawyers have recently launched a campaign calling for the kingdom’s removal from the Council. The two lawyers, Rodney Dixon QC and Lord Kenneth Donald John Macdonald said that the removal of Saudi Arabia would “act as[…]

Yemen Devastated by Saudi-Influenced Famine

A recent report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) states that Saudi Arabia may have committed acts during the ongoing war in Yemen that amount to war crimes. During the conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels, HRW has documented 87 apparently unlawful attacks by the coalition, killing nearly 1,000 Yemeni civilians. HRW also[…]

Bahrain Confirms Two-Year Sentence for Nabeel Rajab, Moves toward Conclusion of Separate Twitter Trial

16 January 2018 – Yesterday, the Bahraini Court of Cassation rejected human rights defender Nabeel Rajab’s appeal and confirmed his two-year prison sentence for discussing restrictions on free expression and the press in several television interviews. Yesterday also saw the latest hearing in a separate case against Rajab in which he faces prosecution over tweets[…]

Saudi-led Coalition’s Actions in Yemen Come Under Increasing US Scrutiny

On 6 December, United States President Donald Trump issued a brief statement in which he called on the Government of Saudi Arabia to end its blockade of Yemen. In his statement, President Trump addressed the blockade as a humanitarian issue and stated that he had directed a member of his administration to reach out to[…]