“We should not be followers of traditions that go against human rights…we are human beings and we make traditions.” (Malala Yousafzai)
It is now over four years since the takeover of Newcastle United by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and since then NE Bylines has been regularly reviewing what life is like in that Middle Eastern kingdom and what has happened there since the 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 it 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 1-27 of this survey have covered the period from 7th October 2021 to the end of November this year. So, what has been happening regarding Saudi Arabia in December 2025?
Call for fair trial in Saudi Arabia
On 9 December, it was reported that Human Rights watch and ALQST for Human Rights had urged that a French national should have a fair trial and attention for his health needs, following his arrest more than a year ago for not having a valid permit for the Hajj. For over four months he has been held in incommunicado detention, while he awaits a date for the next session of his trial for visa permit violations and charges related to freedom. It was also argued that “Saudi Arabia’s allies, particularly the French government, should send monitors to observe upcoming trial hearings”.
A father of three, Mr. Abdelfattah, who was identified only by his surname to protect his privacy, was stopped by security officials on June 16, 2024. He was asked to show his Hajj permit when taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. He had unknowingly fallen victim to a visa scam, a common occurrence that the authorities are trying to address and consequently the authorities discovered that his permit was invalid. ALQST reported that having been initially detained at the Haram police station, Abdelfattah was transferred the next day to Dhahban Prison near Jeddah.
It was also noted that “at the time of his arrest, the penalty for unauthorized Hajj pilgrims was a fine of 10,000 Riyals (approximately 2,000 GBP) and deportation. Similar penalties were announced for the 2025 (1446 AH) Hajj season. Yet he was arbitrarily detained for more than 11 months and then put on trial, beginning in May 2025, for both visa irregularities and charges relating to peaceful free expression”.
Rachel Reeves visit to Riyadh
Private Eye commented on the fact that UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves had visited Riyadh in October on an investment trip, just a week after Abdullah al-Derazi had been executed on 20 October for simply taking part in protests against the regime, when he was a teenager.
Dismay over agreement
It was reported on 18 December that ALQST and MENA Rights Group had written to the United Nations’ counterterrorism office about its decision to sign an agreement with a Saudi security chief who was allegedly implicated in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
The two human rights NGOs wrote a letter the week beginning 15 December addressed to Alexandre Zouev, the UN’s acting undersecretary general for counterterrorism.
The two groups wrote of their “profound alarm” following the UN’s counter-terrorism centre (UNCCT) signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in late November with Saudi Arabia’s presidency of state security (PSS), following a visit by Zouev to Riyadh.
The letter stated: “Mr al-Howairini, with whom the MoU was signed, was directly implicated in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as confirmed by former UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard’s investigation”.
Middle East Eye also noted that their journalist Khashoggi was “murdered by Saudi agents at the consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, in an assassination that US intelligence believes was approved by the Saudi crown prince”.
Record number of executions in Saudi Arabia
It was reported on 21 December that Saudi Arabia had surpassed its previous record for the number of executions carried out in one 12 month period, for a second year in a row.
According to UK-Based campaign group Reprieve, which tracks executions in Saudi Arabia and has clients on death row, at least 347 people had been put to death in 2025, two more than the total of 345 in 2024, according to the UK-based campaign group Reprieve.
2025 was said to be the “bloodiest year of executions in the kingdom since monitoring began”.
Among those put to death in 2025 were two young men who were children at the time of their alleged protest-related crimes, a journalist and five women.
Jeed Basyouni, Reprieve’s head of death penalty for the Middle East and North Africa, commented: “Saudi Arabia is operating with complete impunity now. It’s almost making a mockery of the human rights system.”
Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen
It was reported on 30 December that the United Arab Emirates had said that it would take out its remaining forces in Yemen following an escalation of tensions with Saudi Arabia following a huge offensive by separatists backed by the UAE.
The defence ministry of the UAE was said to have announced the withdrawal on 30 December, soon after Saudi Arabia had bombed what it claimed was a shipment of weapons from the UAE that was headed for Yemeni separatists.
It was further noted that, “the airstrike was the most significant escalation to date in a widening rift between the two Gulf monarchies, which have both been seeking to gain an advantage in Yemen’s many-sided civil war. The two countries back different groups that are loosely aligned against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The groups compete among themselves in the territories they control”.
On 31st December, it was argued that this latest skirmish between the UAE and Saudi Arabia will “cast a dark shadow over the situation in Yemen politically, economically, and militarily”. The political groups in Yemen were “divided into two camps, with the government members each following one of the external parties to the conflict – Saudi and Emirati”.
So, there is evidence about what was happening concerning Saudi Arabia in December 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 13th November 1967, to receive an honorary degree at Newcastle University. King once said: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Shouldn’t we all follow King’s wise words with regards to the brutality of the Saudi regime?
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
