“You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man’s freedom. You can only be free if I am free.”
Clarence Darrow, American lawyer, member of the ACLU and death penalty opponent
It is now nearly three years since the takeover of Newcastle United by the Saudi PIF, and North East Bylines has been regularly reviewing what life is like in that Middle Eastern kingdom and what has happened there since that takeover in October 2021. There are some who would claim that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a place where human rights are not respected and that the regime is a murderous regime, which starts illegal wars and is responsible for many human rights abuses. But is all that really true? Let’s see what has been happening and look at the hard evidence. How has Saudi Arabia been reported in recent weeks?
Parts I-10 of this survey have covered the period from 7 October 2021 to the end of June this year. So, what has been happening regarding Saudi Arabia at the end of June and in July 2024?
Saudi Arabia’s The Line
It was reported towards the end of June that more UK practices were being linked with Saudi Line as Morphosis departed. The report in Architects Journal, went on to say that Assael Architecture, AHMM, PLP Architecture and SimpsonHaugh were among UK architectural practices which had by the end of June, competed for design work on Saudi Arabia’s The Line megaproject, while US firm Morphosis had left the scheme
The Architects Journal also noted that the firms mentioned above had thrown their hats into the ring to draw up “either common design elements either common design elements or individual ‘vertical neighbourhoods’ within the modules on The Line’s first section – the 2.4km-long Hidden Marina. It is not known whether all of the practices were taken through to the next phase of the contest for the linear city project, which is part of the wider $1.5 trillion Neom development scheme on the Red Sea coast.”
Furthermore, the Architects Journal claimed that each of the Hidden Marina’s three planned modules was said to hold eight vertical neighbourhoods, as a total of 24 international practices remained involved in ongoing competitions for the work.
Separately, Architects Journal also stated that it had emerged that US firm Morphosis Architects had departed from its leading role on The Line, described as “a proposed 170km-long linear city dogged by allegations from the United Nations and others about human rights abuses”. Additionally, Austrian practice Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA) was said to be believed to have taken a lead role in Morphosis’s place. Neither firm responded to requests for comment from the AJ.
Saudi TV creator Abdulaziz Almuzaini
It was reported on 8 July that Saudi TV creator Abdulaziz Almuzaini, known for his controversial animated Netflix series, had revealed that he had been sentenced to 13 years in prison and faces a 13-year travel ban by Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court, established to try terrorism cases.
The report went on to note that “Almuzaini’s satirical show “Masameer County”, which offers a humorous perspective on Saudi societal changes, debuted in 2021 and has covered topics such as tribal disputes, Islamic extremism, and subtly referenced homosexuality, a serious offence in Saudi Arabia.” Furthermore, it was stated that The Wall Street Journal had reported that court documents in Almuzaini’s case had referenced his online posts criticising Arab regimes and advocating for women’s rights, assertions he had acknowledged in a deleted video. It was also said that in the same video, Almuzaini had stated that Saudi officials had accused him of promoting homosexuality and militancy.
Sentenced for social media activity
The next day, 9 July saw a report in the Middle East Eye, stating that Human Rights Watch had reported that a Saudi Arabian man had been sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges related to his social media activity.
It was noted that on 29 May, Asaad al-Ghamdi, a 47-year-old teacher, had been convicted by Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism tribunal of “challenging the religion and justice of the King and the Crown Prince”, and “publishing false and malicious news and rumours”.
Human Rights Watch said that they had seen court documents that showed that, al-Ghamdi had been arrested for “for publishing posts that harmed the security of the homeland on social media websites (Twitter)”. It was further reported that, “Al-Ghamdi has languished in Dhahban prison in Jeddah since he was arrested in front of his wife and children on 20 November in a night-time raid on his home in the al-Hamdaneyah neighbourhood of the port city” It was also noted that Al-Ghamdi had been held incommunicado for most of his detention, spending three months in solitary confinement and was only permitted a visit from his family in January.
Newcastle
It was reported in the Chronicle on 11 July, that Newcastle’s council leader had denied that the city had sought to sweep human rights concerns “under the carpet” over its links to Saudi Arabia. It was further noted that city leaders had come under pressure from human rights activists over Tyneside’s ties to the Gulf nation since the takeover of Newcastle United, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Readers were also reminded that in May, emails obtained by the NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing group had revealed efforts by senior civic centre directors to secure money from and stronger links to the Middle East nation, whose regime has been regularly accused of having an “appalling human rights record”.
Furthermore, it was reported that that came on the same day as a “Newcastle delegation pitched the city as a “gateway to Saudi” on a major UK trade mission to Riyadh. Asked at a Newcastle City Council meeting on Wednesday whether enough was being done to raise concerns from Magpies fans about human rights abuses, city Labour leader Nick Kemp replied that Newcastle prides itself on being a “diverse, inclusive, and tolerant city” and he expects all organisations within the city to share those values.”
Worker mistreatment
Then in the New York Times on 19 July it was reported that Saudi Arabia was investigating worker mistreatment allegations after The Athletic report on Newcastle sponsor Noon It was noted that In June, “The Athletic published an investigation into labour conditions at Noon and at agencies that supply the company with migrant workers, speaking to 12 workers from across the Gulf. The issues uncovered in the investigation included examples at supply companies of physical abuse, the withholding of wages, deception surrounding recruitment and the charging of illegal recruitment fees. It also revealed evidence of law-breaking surrounding overtime hours and racial or nationality-based discrimination at Noon and supply companies.”
It was also noted that Noon is the Gulf’s largest online retailer and has been Newcastle United’s sleeve sponsor for the past two years, with its circular logo prominent on the club’s shirt, stadium, and website. It was also noted that it would be “there again for the 2024-25 season — despite The Athletic sharing its findings with Newcastle before the release of the club’s new Adidas kit”.
Suppression of free speech
On 12 July it was reported in The Guardian that fresh questions had been raised about the suppression of free speech in Saudi Arabia after the brother of a man facing the death penalty for tweeting to ten followers had been handed a 20-year sentence for largely innocuous tweets.
Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman
It was further reported that the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, had said Mohammed al-Ghamdi was a victim of “bad laws” after being sentenced to death, “yet the crown prince permitted the same laws to be used to sentence Ghamdi’s younger brother, Asaad al-Ghamdi.” It was also noted that Mohammed al-Ghamdi’s British-based lawyers had revealed that a UN special rapporteur on arbitrary detention judged in a recent report that their client had been a victim of arbitrary detention and denial of an appropriate lawyer.
The report also stated that, “Mohammed al-Ghamdi was sentenced to death in July 2023 and has been given no notification of whether he is allowed to appeal, or when the sentence will be carried out. Prince Mohammed said in a Fox News interview in September that his death sentence was shameful for the judicial system.”
“However, the most important thing remains to ensure its implementation by the Saudi government which has a history of defying international law,” Saeed Nasser al-Ghamdi said in a statement.
United Nations
On 12 July it was reported in Middle East Eye that UN experts had found that a former teacher who had been sentenced to death by a Saudi court in 2023, over social media posts from accounts with ten followers was being held arbitrarily and should be released immediately. It was further noted that the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s conclusion in the case of Mohammed al-Ghamdi, a retired teacher, came a little over a month after his brother, Asaad al-Ghamdi, also a teacher, had been sentenced to 20 years over his posts on X.
Furthermore, it was noted that, “among their posts were ones critical of Saudi government policies – including the flagship economic programme Vision 2030 – unemployment, inflation, and mismanagement of resources. Some called for the release of political prisoners. Others mourned those who died in prison. It was also said that their brother, Saeed Nasser al-Ghamdi, a prominent religious scholar and Saudi Arabian opposition figure living in London, had said on 12 July that he had welcomed the UN’s findings.
Executions
Then on 15 July, it was noted in Middle East Eye, that Saudi Arabia had executed 100 people since the beginning of 2024 through to 15 July, according to the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR. It was further noted that, “according to the rights group, which monitors executions in the kingdom, the rate amounts to an execution nearly every two days, representing a 42% increase compared to the same period in 2023, which recorded 172 executions.”
Furthermore, ESOHR were reported as saying “that the surge indicates an “insistence on using the death penalty extensively, in violation of international laws and its official commitments.” Despite the rise in execution numbers, the group said that they had identified only three individuals facing imminent execution, indicating that many executions are taking place in secret.”
Saudis living in the UK
It was reported in The Guardian on 18 July that, Saudi exiles living in the UK had spoken of threats to their lives and harassment over their support for improvements in human rights in their home country. It was further reported that Saudi Arabia, “has spent billions on sporting deals and promoting tourism in the country and was recently named host of a UN commission on women’s rights, despite what Amnesty International called its “abysmal” record on women’s rights. However, Saudis living in the UK say they have faced a barrage of threats and abuse after speaking out on rights and the Saudi authorities’ jailing of women’s rights activists.”
It was further noted that Saudi Arabia, along with Iran, Russia and Turkey, had been identified by activists as one of the biggest perpetrators of attacks on people outside its borders. This is said to be a tactic known as “transnational repression, which aims to stifle debate or criticism from exiles and refugees who have fled abroad”. At least half a dozen threats to life to Saudis living in exile in the UK and elsewhere in Europe were said to have been reported by the US-based human rights organisation Freedom House.
Further reporting on executions
On 21 July it was noted in DW News that the number of executions in Saudi Arabia has risen sharply in the first half of 2024. It was noted that, “as of July 15, the state executed 98 men and two women for charges related to murder, terrorism and drugs. This marks a 42% increase compared to the same period in 2023, according to a recent report by the Berlin-based European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR).
Kenneth Roth, the former director of Human Rights Watch and current professor at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs was quoted as saying that, “some executions are not even for recognized common crimes, but for such political offenses as ‘endangering national unity’ or ‘undermining societal security'”.
It was further reported that political dissidents and rights’ supporters often face trials at the country’s secretive Specialized Criminal Court, which is the country’s designated counter-terror tribunal. It was also said that “a report by the human rights group Amnesty International found that authorities were using this court “as a weapon to systematically silence dissent.”
Interestingly, it was noted that the crackdown on civil rights’ activists is in contrast to Saudi Arabia’s so-called Vision 2030, described as “an ambitious project to drive societal and economic overhaul in the country.”
It was also stated that, “Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had introduced the set of reforms in 2017 in a bid to diversify the country’s dependence on oil sales by investing in green technologies, boosting foreign investment, and opening the country to non-religious tourism. Part of this strategy included hosting global sports events, such as the upcoming Olympic Esports Games or the football World Cup in 2034. Critics say that Saudi investments in major sports events are an attempt to “sportswash” — or whitewash through the use of sports — the kingdom’s human rights records by boosting its international popularity.”
Domestic workers
On 26 July, it was reported in Gulf News that Saudi labour authorities had specified regulations for the electronic transfer of house workers via a government platform. It was said that “the rules stipulate that the salary should be transferred by the employer via e-wallets and banks accredited by the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources, the ministry’s Musaned platform responsible for domestic labour affairs in the kingdom”.
It was also noted that other stipulations for the service require that the worker issue an iqama or residency permit for him/her, “have an authenticated contract on Musaned as well as an account designated for the worker and the employer on one of the wage channels accredited by the ministry” and should be on the sponsorship list. Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia were said to include “include housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, live-in nurses, tutors and nannies”.
Amaala
Near the end of July, it was reported in The Sunon 29 July that, Saudi Arabia is planning to construct a sprawling seaside resort called Amaala, built on blood and worth an eye-watering £3.8billion. It was further reported that, “new video footage reveals work is underway for the for Dubai-style hotspot which aims to be the height of luxury.
It was also noted that Saudi Arabia is “notorious for having a poor human rights record leading to many of its brainchilds being met with a frosty reception. Many young, healthy, migrants have left their families to find work in the country and have met a grisly fate, according to the Guardian”.
Furthermore, it was stated that human rights groups had shared concern over factors such as “harsh working and living conditions, exploitation, stress and heatstroke which they think could be contributing to worker fatalities. It is feared builders working on Amaala will also be treated unfairly and live in poor conditions.”
Press release from US House of Representatives
On 31 July, Adam Schiff, Democrat Representative for California in the US House of Representatives issued a press release.
The press release stated in its first four paragraphs:
“Washington, D.C.— Today, Representatives Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and Donald Beyer (D-Va.) alongside Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), wrote a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the U.S. government to call on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to release all wrongfully detained human rights advocates.
“Five years after the grisly murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, which was ordered by Saudi authorities, we are profoundly troubled by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s continuing crackdown on freedom of expression and are very worried about the fate of numerous people unfairly tried and incarcerated in the Kingdom,” the lawmakers wrote. “Dozens of human rights defenders and women’s rights advocates, some of whom are family members of United States citizens, have been incarcerated simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association.
“These unjustly incarcerated citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have endured, along with their families, years of heartbreak and anguish at the hands of the agents of this theocratic police state,” the lawmakers continued. “Many others know that same struggle but have been silenced through violent intimidation, travel bans, and the fear of reprisals against their loved ones.”
“Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to power, people in Saudi Arabia have been facing an unprecedented crackdown on freedom of expression, with some of the harshest prison sentences ever documented being handed out to those who simply peacefully expressed their views,” said Andrew Fandino, Advocacy Director for Individuals at Risk, Amnesty International USA. “In one case, authorities even sentenced a man to death solely based on things he said online. This zero-tolerance policy for criticism must come to an end, and all those who have been wrongly detained, must be immediately and unconditionally released.”
So, there is evidence about what was happening concerning Saudi Arabia in July 2024. Are those who accuse the Saudi regime of having a bad human rights record being fair? What should we say and what should we do today and in the future, in order to respond to the human rights record of the Saudi regime?
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