A group of 29 States has expressed \u201cdeep concern\u201d about human rights in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom bids to rejoin the UN Human Rights Council. Reprieve and the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) support this statement and echo its concerns, chiefly that the Saudi Arabian government has not followed promises of reform with action and continues to sentence people to death for non-violent drug offences and crimes committed as children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The joint statement, led by Denmark, observed that Saudi Arabia is \u201ccurbing use of death penalty against minors\u201d. In fact, despite repeated claims by the country\u2019s Human Rights Commission that the Kingdom has abolished the death penalty for children, 13 people are still at risk of execution for childhood crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2018, the Government of Saudi Arabia promulgated a Juvenile Law that withdrew the death penalty as a punishment for many crimes, but retained it for offences such as murder or apostasy. The Royal Decree issued in April 2020 merely reiterates this partial abolition. At least three people who should benefit from these limited legal reforms and have their death sentences quashed remain on death row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The countries acknowledged \u201cpositive measures\u201d that indicate Saudi Arabia is taking steps to \u201cimprove\u201d the human rights situation, including restricting the use of flogging, but noted that these stand in contrast to continuing abuses and violations of international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCivil society, human rights defenders, journalists and political opposition still face persecution, detention and intimidation,\u201d they wrote. \u201cWe remain deeply concerned by reports of torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and\u2026 the use of the counter-terrorism law and other security provisions against individuals peacefully exercising their rights.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement highlighted the continued incarceration of at least five women human rights defenders, arrested in 2018 for protesting the country\u2019s recently-lifted driving ban, and called for the release of all political prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saudi Arabia stands for election to the Human Rights Council at this ongoing session. The 29 countries observed that election to the Council \u201ccomes with the expectation of upholding the highest standards\u201d of human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n