Building Secret State Surveillance Systems: How the Export of European Spyware Facilitates Human Rights Violations in Gulf States

The Danish government has traditionally been a vocal supporter for human rights. For example, the Government of Denmark was one of the signatories of a Human Rights Council Joint Statement on Saudi Arabia that expressed its concern regarding the murder and torture of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Despite their good reputation, the Danish government has on[…]

The Portuguese Left Bloc in Parliament Condemns the Ongoing Arbitrary Arrest of Women’s Rights Activists in Saudi Arabia

On May 21, the Bloco de Esquerda (The Left Bloc) passed a “condemning vote” in parliament related to the Saudi Women Human Rights Defender’s Arrest. The instrument specifically details the ordeal of Samar Badawi, Nassima Al-Sadah and Loujain Alhathoul who were arbitrarily arrested, detained and sentenced in manner that were in breach of a number[…]

COVID-19: How the Pandemic used by GCC Governments to Double Down on Human Rights Violations

The COVID-19 has infected millions of people around the world and has compelled governments to take extraordinary measures to combat its spread across the population. However, these actions pose a risk of infringing upon international human rights law standards, even if COVID-19 poses a significant threat to public health. Declaring a state of emergency can[…]

Reprisal Against Human Rights Defenders in Saudi Arabia

The Price of Participating at the Human Rights Council is too exorbitant Human right defenders have suffered greatly from reprisals due to their activism and involvement with international human rights organizations, such as the United Nations (UN), and the Human Rights Council (HRC), among others . ADHRB has, and continues to monitor the situation in[…]

Saudi Arabia: When Impunity becomes a Policy of the Kingdom

In June 2017, Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) was appointed as the new heir to the throne of Saudi Arabia. Before his appointment, little was known about MbS on the international stage. Many prominent Americans with Saudi ties were eager to frame him as a progressive modernising reformer. This could be said for certain surface-level reforms,[…]