It is now four years since the takeover of Newcastle United by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and since then 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 one, 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-25 of this survey have covered the period from 7 October 2021 to the end of September this year.  So, what has been happening regarding Saudi Arabia in October 2025?

Labour exploitation and abuses

On 2 October a report suggested that ”South Asian migrant workers building renewable energy projects in Saudi Arabia face exploitation and labour abuses, including excessive hours, high recruitment fees and average monthly salaries of just $370”.

According to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) report migrants building hydrogen and solar projects are exposed to low pay, abusive hiring practices, unsafe conditions and excessive working hours. The report also notes that workers lack effective mechanisms to raise complaints or seek remedy.

Riyadh Comedy festival

The row about the Riyadh Comedy festival rumbled on as it was reported on 7 October that comedian Jessica Kirson had publicly  apologised for taking part in the festival.

In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, Kirson expressed her “sincere regret” for having performed at the event on 29th September, and said she has donated the entirety of what she was paid to a human rights organisation.

Community displaced

On  8 October it was reported that Saudi authorities were being accused of the attempting to forcibly displace people from the al-Mulwaila village to make way for the Oxagon megaproject, which is part of Neom.

On 9 October a survey on women’s rights was published. While some reforms were noted, Saudi Arabia remained near the bottom of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, ranking around 132nd of 148 countries in the 2025 report.

Use of the death penalty

On 10 October human rights campaign, ALQST reported that a number of senior NGOs, including Amnesty International had collectively condemned the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. 

The NGOs (non-governmental organisations) cited Saudi Press Agency data showing at least 292 executions in 2025 so far, including four women, and warned the kingdom was on course to exceed the record 345 executions logged in 2024.  

More on the Comedy Festival

On14 October NME reported that Human Rights Watch (HRW) had revealed that they were not able to accept donations from Aziz Ansari and other comedians who had offered to donate part of their performance fees from the recent Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.

The festival, featuring Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr, has been criticised due to Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the state’s alleged involvement in the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

On 21 October, CNN covered a similar backlash in Australia.

Child offender executed

On 20 October Amnesty International announced the Saudi regime had executed Abdullah al-Derazi, who was under the age of 18 at the time of his alleged offences, relating to attending demonstrations against the regime in 2011 and 2012.  Amnesty had warned of his imminent execution and had called on King Salman not to ratify his death sentence.

On 22 October, Reprieve reported that Mohamed Saad and Omar Sherif, two Egyptian nationals convicted of non-lethal drug offences, had also been executed despite earlier assurances of a case review.

Kafala System

On 23 October it was reported that Saudi Arabia had announced major labour reforms replacing the long-standing Kafala sponsorship system with a contract-based employment model.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the reforms now allow migrant workers to change employers without prior approval, exit the country without an exit visa and access legal protections previously unavailable.

Human Rights Watch

On 29 October HRW argued that the newly appointed Grand Mufti, Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, should promote religious tolerance. HRW noted his past use of anti-Shia rhetoric and urged meaningful reform.

On the same day, HRW also renewed its call for the release of ten Egyptian Nubian men detained since 2020, whom HRW says were imprisoned solely for peaceful cultural expression.

In a separate development, ALQST and MENA Rights Group wrote an open letter to Alexandre Zouev, Acting Under-Secretary-General of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, raising concerns about the office’s relationship with Saudi state security bodies.

Newcastle councillors’ plea

Finally, it was reported on the 31 October that a plea for clemency from a number of Newcastle city councillors was sent to the King Salman Ibn Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, as part of the international campaign to try and save the innocent life of Abdullah al-Derazi.

The councillors were said to have expressed their deep concern In the letter sent to the king, regarding the court’s decision to sentence Abdullah al-Derazi to the death penalty for alleged offences committed when he was still a child during protests in 2011-2012.

It was also noted that the councillors had, “stated that they were committed to standing up for human rights and that they were writing from Newcastle in the United Kingdom, a city that has many ties with Saudi Arabia”.

The right time to do the right thing

So, there is evidence about what was happening concerning Saudi Arabia in October 2025. 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?

Perhaps we ought to remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr, who visited Newcastle on 13 November 1967, to receive an honorary degree at Newcastle University. In a sermon in 1959, King noted that, “It is always the right time to do the right thing.”  Shouldn’t we all follow King’s wise words with regards to the brutality of the Saudi regime?

CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE BYLINES NETWORK CROWDFUNDER!