“My Country”: How Saudi Arabia is Undermining Women’s Newfound Right to Vote

Saudi women have begun registering to vote for December’s municipal elections, a development that the international press has greeted with extensive, and mostly positive, coverage. Yet, while the Saudi government welcomes glowing descriptions of its slow yet steady progress in advancing women’s rights, its actual reforms remain superficial. Saudi authorities are doing everything within their[…]

Mapping the Saudi State Chapter 5: The National Guard

*Best viewed in full-screen mode. In Mapping the Saudi State, Chapter 5: The National Guard, ADHRB studies the light army that the Saudi government has organized to quell internal unrest and prevent coups d’état. Tracing its origins back to the radical Ikhwan fighters who helped solidify King Abdulaziz’s control of the Arabian Peninsula, the Saudi Arabian[…]

Event Summary: Arbitrary Justice in Saudi Arabia

On 22 July 2015, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and Amnesty International cosponsored an event entitled “Arbitrary Justice in Saudi Arabia.” Joe Stork, the Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East Division in Washington, moderated the panel, which included James Suzano, the Acting Director of Advocacy at ADHRB; Abdulaziz Alhussan,[…]

Event: Arbitrary Justice in Saudi Arabia

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and Amnesty International are cosponsoring an event to shed light on the absence of Rule of Law in Saudi Arabia. The discussion will outline the specific deficiencies within the Saudi criminal justice system that lead to the commission of human rights violations, including judges’ lack of[…]

Lighting a Candle for Waleed Abu al-Khair

On 6 July 2014, the Saudi Specialized Criminal Court sentenced Waleed Abu al-Khair to 15 years in prison, a 15-year travel ban, and a fine of 200,000 Saudi riyals. To mark the passing of one year since his unjust sentencing, the international human rights community has put forward a series of testimonials that highlight Waleed’s[…]