Articles for Saudi Arabia

Two UN experts expressed their disappointment at the lack of measures and sanctions by the United States of America on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2018, and called for those responsible to impose them sanctions.

The Saudi crown is slowly disabling and killing its most prominent critics by keeping them arbitrarily and in cruel and inhumane conditions in solitary confinement, many of them acquired severe impairments.

Alkarama expresses its concern about the escalation of violations against journalists in the Arab world during the year 2020. According to data published by international organizations concerned with the defense of journalists, including statistics published by the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists, some 60 journalists and media field workers have been murdered in 2020. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists reports that there are at least 274 journalists behind bars, the highest number recorded by the Committee since the early 1990s.

On 9 December 2020, Alkarama brought to the urgent attention of the UN working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) the continued arbitrary detention of religious scholar Khaled Al-Rashed, since his arrest which occurred on 19 March 2006. Not only his detention has been recognized as arbitrary by the experts of the WGAD in a 2007 decision but also, he has not been released in spite of having served an already unjust sentence of 15-years imprisonment.

On 12 October 2020, Alkarama submitted a complaint to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on behalf of 70-years-old religious scholar Safar bin Abdulrahman Al Hawali.

On 12 October 2020, Alkarama submitted a complaint to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on behalf of 70-years-old religious scholar Safar bin Abdulrahman Al Hawali. This prominent scholar is arbitrarily detained since 12 July 2018 after publishing a book in which he criticised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s international policy choices and issued recommendations to his attention.

The infamous October 2 date marks the second anniversary of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.

Since its establishment in 2004, Alkarama has submitted numerous cases of persons subjected to long periods of arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment to the UN Special Procedures and, mainly, to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD). So far, all submissions made to WGAD have led to favourable Opinions, stating the arbitrary nature of the detentions.

Today, Monday, 29 June 2020, Alkarama submitted a communication to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances regarding Yemeni preacher Abdul Aziz al-Zubayri, who has been held incommunicado in Saudi Arabian prisons since May 20, 2020.