In 2006 the United Nations (UN) established a new Human Rights Council (HRC) to be “responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.” The HRC replaced the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) after it had been heavily criticized for allowing countries with poor human rights records to be members. Now,[…]
31
Aug
Aug
On 27 May 2014, Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court sentenced Ali Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr to death by beheading and crucifixion. On 17 August 2014, the Supreme Court upheld his verdict. Ali’s execution is imminent. With no remaining avenues for legal appeal, the only thing that prevents the sentence from being carried out is King Salman’s[…]
18
Aug
Aug
Last week, the U.S. State Department notified Congress of an impending $1.15 billion dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia. This deal is the latest in a string of major arms sales agreements, totaling over $20 billion, since the Gulf country began fighting in Yemen against the Houthi rebels in March 2015. However, steady arms sales to[…]
08
Aug
Aug
On 15 July 2016, the Obama administration declassified and released 28 pages of a congressional inquiry into alleged Saudi government complicity in the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Saudi officials responded stating that it was “one of the more peculiar ironies” that a nation that has done so much to combat[…]
04
Aug
Aug
More than 10,000 Indian workers have recently lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia, and many of them had previously gone months without payment. Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for the Indian foreign ministry, has estimated that over 7,700 workers living in 20 labor camps are food insecure. The workers were unable to leave Saudi Arabia upon[…]
