Saudi Arabia

Heavy jail terms handed down for organizers of a public symposium in Riyadh.

IFEX joins rights groups in strongly condemning the unlawful sentencing of al-Shehab, which marks a further escalation in the kingdom’s crackdown on free speech.

The outrageous sentence – believed to be the longest ever imposed on a Saudi woman for her peaceful online expression – is an indicator that Saudi leadership is ramping up repression, as it emerges from diplomatic isolation.

Parent company Alphabet rejects a civil society-backed shareholder proposal calling on Google to uphold human rights principles.

IFEX joins human rights organisations in calling on the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Lina Alsharif, who has been arbitrarily detained for over a year as a result of her social media activism. Her right to due process has not been respected and there is great concern for her psychological and physical well-being in Al-Ha’ir prison.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) welcomes the release of blogger and human rights defender Raif Badawi, and calls on authorities to lift the ten-year forced travel ban currently imposed on him.

The sentence against Ahmad Ali Abdelkader, 31, is related to tweets and media interviews he shared to Twitter in which he discussed and expressed support for Sudan’s 2018-2019 revolution and criticized Saudi actions in Sudan and Yemen, says Human Rights Watch.

Right groups, digital privacy rights organizations and researchers call on Google to halt its plans to establish a “Cloud region” in Saudi Arabia, pointing to the country’s track record of violating privacy rights to spy on citizens.

The complaint details a litany of crimes against humanity committed against 35 journalists in Saudi Arabia, including that of murdered Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

In response to the release of a U.S. congressional report identifying Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as having ordered the operation against journalist Jamal Khashoggi, rights groups call on the Biden administration to impose sanctions on the prince, and suspend arms sales.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns Google’s recent decision to extend its network of data centres into Saudi Arabia, and urges the tech giant to ensure data is protected from Saudi government surveillance.

Targeted Al Jazeera journalist Ghada Oueiss talks to the Committee to Protect Journalists about being hacked, navigating online misogynistic smear campaigns, and living in fear of physical repercussions for her work since the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

The U.S. intelligence community should confirm or deny the existence of documents that may provide information on its duty to warn “Washington Post” columnist Jamal Khashoggi of threats to his life before his murder, or provide more detailed explanations of their refusal to do so.

The Free Saudi Activists Coalition condemns the sentencing of Saudi women’s rights defender Loujain Al-Hathloul, and calls on governments around the world, including the incoming US Administration, to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for their continued human rights violations.

As G20 member countries meet in Riyadh this month, Human Rights Watch calls on government leaders to hold the kingdom accountable for human rights abuses, and release unlawfully detained prisoners of conscience like Loujain al-Hathloul and Raif Badawi.

IFEX member Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic Space, and a coalition of Tunisian organizations, welcome the launch of a new human rights organization founded in memory of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and reiterate calls for an independent, international investigation into his brutal killing.