“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity” (Nelson Mandela)
It is now nearly five years since the takeover of Newcastle United by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and since then North East Bylines has been regularly documenting what life is like in that Middle Eastern kingdom, including what has happened 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-36 of this series have covered the period from 7 October 2021 to the end of July this year. So, what has been happening regarding Saudi Arabia in August 2026?
It was reported in early August that death row inmates in Saudi Arabia had been able to contact the BBC. One inmate who spoke to the BBC has been held in a jail for over three years now. He said that he and fellow inmates had fled terrible poverty and war at home, but that now, “one prisoner cannot comfort another. We have no choice but to cry. We are waiting for our turn, even though we do not know when it will happen.” The report also noted that 17 Ethiopians had been put to death so far this year.
It was reported on 4 August that, following orders from Saudi authorities, the X social media platform owned by Elon Musk had become the latest major US social media company to block the accounts of Saudi Arabian dissidents. Consequently, they are no longer visible inside the kingdom.
The Guardian reported earlier this year that platforms including Meta’s Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram had blocked dissidents’ accounts as a result of allegations by Saudi authorities that the dissidents’ posts were “violating local law”.
It was further reported that “at the time, X, formerly Twitter, said it had notified users that it had not taken any action following requests by Saudi authorities, and it “strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users”.
Despite this, the London-based human rights organisation ALQST have said that in the last month more than 60 accounts on the platform have been made unavailable in Saudi Arabia. This has been done through geoblocking, preventing users inside Saudi Arabia from viewing the content.
It was reported on 26 August that there are growing concerns regarding the renewable energy sector in Saudi Arabia and the treatment of migrant workers. New research is suggesting that workers who have reported abuses are yet to receive any compensation.
The study by the Business and Human Rights Centre found that financial institutions and multinational companies connected to renewable energy projects had failed to provide adequate responses to reported labour abuses identified last year.
The Migrant Workers Researcher, Business and Human Rights Centre, Catriona Fraser, commented: “When asked, workers told us exactly what remedy they want: the immediate repayment of recruitment fees and stolen wages, protection from the extreme heat, and salaries that can relieve their families from cycles of poverty and debt. What they have received instead is silence.”
It was reported on 27 August that Saudi prosecutors had sought the death penalty for hadith scholar and prominent preacher Abdul Aziz al-Tarifi. According to the Saudi human rights organization ALQST, he has been detained for more than a decade.
It was also noted that “ALQST expressed concern over al-Tarifi’s case on Wednesday, saying the 50-year-old cleric remains imprisoned at al-Ha’ir Prison in Riyadh and is currently being held in solitary confinement”.
However, ALQST also said that they could not confirm whether prosecutors are still actively seeking his execution as they lacked sufficient information about the latest judicial proceedings.
August has proved to be another month of suffering and hardship for many innocent people in Saudi Arabia. How should we in the Northeast respond to their suffering and shouldn’t try to help them?
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