Corporate report

Saudi Arabia - in-year update July 2015

Published 16 July 2015

There was no significant change in the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia between January and June.

Following the death of King Abdullah on 23 January, King Salman set out his priorities in an address to the nation on 10 March. He said that development and reform would continue on the basis of Islamic Sharia and Saudi traditions and reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to international treaties and agreements. The King strongly rejected external interference in internal affairs including in relation to public expressions of concern by various countries about the case of Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi.

To mark his accession, on 29 January King Salman granted approximately 500 public rights prisoners a royal pardon. These were prisoners who had been convicted of criminal charges by the state, and was the largest amnesty in Saudi history.

There has been no significant progress on the ability of women to participate equally in society. The guardianship system continues to be used and, as a result, there is a de facto ban on women driving.

In February, two Saudi Arabian women, Loujain al-Hathloul and Maysa al-Amoudi, were released from prison after being arrested for attempting to drive into Saudi Arabia from the United Arab Emirates in December 2014. They held valid Emirati driving licences.

The Saudi Arabian government has confirmed that municipal elections will take place in December 2015. We understand that there will be 80 women standing in these elections across 285 municipalities.

We remain concerned about the continued use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, including the fact that trials and executions do not meet the minimum standards which the EU advocates in countries where the death penalty is applied. We regularly raise the issue with the Saudi authorities, bilaterally and through the EU, and will continue to do so. There has been a significant rise in the number of executions this year. While no official figures are published, according to statistics reported by NGOs over 100 people have been executed since 1 January. NGOs report that the majority of executions were for murder and drug-related offences.

We continue to follow closely a number of ongoing cases against human rights defenders and attend trials where possible.

We remain concerned by the case of Raif Badawi. The Saudi authorities have confirmed that his case is with the Saudi Supreme Court for further consideration. Mr Badawi was sentenced on 7 May 2014 to ten years in prison, 1,000 lashes (to be administered 50 at a time on consecutive Fridays), a ten-year travel ban, and a fine of one million Saudi riyals (approximately £176,000). He received a first set of 50 lashes on 9 January. Subsequent lashings have been postponed. We have discussed the case at the most senior levels in the government of Saudi Arabia, most recently with the Foreign Minister, His Excellency Adel Al Jubeir, on 9 June. The Foreign Secretary discussed this case in February and March with the Saudi Minister of the Interior, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammad bin Naif, now Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The then Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, raised the case with the Saudi Minister of Justice Dr Walid bin Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Samaani in February. Our Ambassador to Saudi Arabia also discussed the case with him on 22 March, during which our Ambassador reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to working with Dr Al-Samaani to continue supporting Saudi Arabia’s justice sector reform programme.

In June, the US State Department released their country report on human rights in Saudi Arabia which highlighted “citizens’ lack of the ability and legal means to change their government; pervasive restrictions on universal rights such as freedom of expression, including on the internet, and freedom of assembly, association, movement, and religion; and a lack of equal rights for women, children, and noncitizen workers.”

Additionally, Saudi Arabia was designated in Freedom House’s 2015 report on political rights and civil liberties as being one of 12 countries where political rights and civil liberties are least protected; the country remains classed as “not free”. It is illegal to practise any religion other than Islam in Saudi Arabia. The publication and possession of other religious texts is severely restricted.