Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia exhibits low performance across all four categories of the Global State of Democracy framework. It falls among the bottom 25 per cent of the world’s performers in all factors except for Absence of Corruption (mid-range) and Basic Welfare (high range). Over the past five years, it has experienced relative stability at these levels. Saudi Arabia owns 17 per cent of the world’s proven petroleum reserves, with oil revenues accounting for roughly 87 per cent of budget revenues and 42 per cent of GDP. As the largest oil producer in OPEC, Saudi Arabia’s significant power over world oil prices has protected the regime from critique, including most recently with regard to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
The country is an absolute monarchy and an Islamic state with a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. There are no democratic elections for the executive, and representative bodies at the local level are elected infrequently. Saudi Arabia has never experienced colonialism. The Kingdom was founded in 1932 after the Al-Saud family captured and united the diverse tribes in the peninsula into a coherent nation. Since the 18th century, the Al-Saud family has had a symbiotic relationship with the (Sunni) Wahhabi religious movement, using this to claim religious legitimacy along with its more recent guardianship of the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Saudi Arabia has long had a record of imprisoning human rights defenders and regime critics, and the monarchy has regularly preempted challenges by cracking down on opposition voices even as it moves to partially meet demands. When conservative Sunni militants captured the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979, for example, the monarchy implemented conservative reforms, even as the militants themselves were executed. Activists who campaigned to end the women’s driving ban were arrested alongside its repeal, and those released are still subject to travel bans. Women’s rights are heavily restricted in the Kingdom using religious law, and women must rely on male guardians for basic rights of citizenship and movement.
Saudi Arabia is a Sunni majority country, but about 12 per cent of the total population are Shia. The Shia have faced longstanding discrimination and repression and have regularly protested for more rights (though these have been violently repressed). Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Shia Iran between 2016 and 2023, and has fought a long and devastating war in Yemen against the Iran-aligned Houthi. The conflict has led the government to view its Shia population as a potential fifth column. While Saudi Arabia can now use economic rents to quell citizen unrest, global commitments to decarbonization threaten its economic and political standing. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has led a rebranding of the country as a tech hub for foreign investors, including relaxation of restrictions on Western culture and visitors. Saudi Arabia uses the kafala (sponsorship) system for migrant labor, which makes up 80 per cent of the labor force. This system disempowers migrant workers, who have almost no ability to choose their employer or recourse for abuse or wage theft.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch the government’s attempts to attract investors to diversify the economy, and the need to maintain the participation of young Saudis in that diversified economy. Both these groups are discouraged most by the lack of freedom to live modern lifestyles within the country. The need to accommodate them may impact Civil Liberties and Rights more generally.
Monthly Event Reports
December 2023 | At least 170 executions carried out in 2023
Saudi Arabia executed four individuals on 31 December, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency. This event marked the culmination of the deadliest month for executions in the country, with a total of 38 carried out in December 2023. Overall, the kingdom executed 170 people in 2023, a rise from the 147 convicts executed the previous year. The 2023 executions included 33 individuals accused of terrorism-related offenses and two soldiers found guilty of treason. However, rights group Reprieve estimates the actual number of executions could exceed 172, as it believes some may not have been publicly disclosed. Despite facing criticism from human rights activists for its frequent use of capital punishment, Saudi Arabia asserts that these executions are in line with sharia law and are necessary to uphold public order.
August 2023 | Mass killing of migrants at Yemen-Saudi border
A report released by Human Rights Watch on 21 August accused Saudi security forces of conducting ‘widespread and systematic’ killings of hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers at the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border. The report uncovers a pattern of lethal force used by Saudi authorities between March 2022 and June 2023, suggesting that these actions could potentially amount to crimes against humanity. The report alleges that Saudi border guards fired small arms, light weapons, and explosive weapons at migrants attempting to cross from Yemen into Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the victims were reportedly subjected to sexual abuse, physical violence, torture, and arbitrary detention. Despite these serious allegations, the Saudi government has dismissed them as baseless, asserting that they are not grounded on credible sources The border region has become a primary transit point for people from the Horn of Africa aiming to reach Saudi Arabia, with many depending on traffickers and thereby becoming vulnerable to violence. While the exact number of victims is still unclear, the report suggests that the actual number of those killed and injured may be higher than reported.
February 2023 | Number of executions has increased under the reign of King Salman
A report by the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) and by Reprieve published in February revealed a concerning increase in the number of executions in Saudi Arabia, with the past six years among the worst in the country’s modern history. Saudi Arabia’s use of the death penalty has drastically increased since King Salman and Crown Prince (and Prime Minister) Mohammed bin Salman came to power in 2015. The annual rate of executions has grown from an average of 70.8 executions per year between 2010-2014 to an average of 129.5 executions per year between 2015-2022 – an increase of 82 per cent. Despite extensive reforms and recent efforts to modernize the country, the new data show that international human rights law continues to be routinely violated in Saudi Arabia. The report notes that the death penalty is used by the new government to repress political opposition and silence dissidents.
January 2023 | More rights and opportunities for Saudi women
Several milestones were recorded in January for women’s inclusion and empowerment. Gender equality has been advanced most notably in the laws surrounding traffic, travel documentation, civil status, labour and social insurance. Nevertheless, despite the reforms and opportunities joining the labour market, women in Saudi Arabia still face several forms of discrimination on a legal and social level and the Saudi government continues to target and repress women's rights activists and movements.
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