Over the past several weeks – since early September – Saudi security forces have arrested at least 16 people perceived to be critical of Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince, and of the government’s policies towards Qatar. The detained individuals include prominent religious figures, writers, journalists, academics, and activists like Abdulaziz al-Shubaily and Issa al-Hamid,[…]
On Tuesday 26 September 2017, Saudi Arabia announced that it would allow women to drive for the first time in the history of the kingdom. The policy change, which was announced over state television, will reportedly go into effect in June 2018. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) calls on Saudi Arabia[…]
On Monday, 18 September 2017, Snapchat reportedly restricted content from the Qatari media outlet Al Jazeera for its users in Saudi Arabia. According to Snapchat, the move was made to comply with local laws – something the company tries to do in all countries that it operates within. However, Al Jazeera says this is an[…]
26 September 2017 – On Saturday, 23 September, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, delivered remarks at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York. Addressing the war in Yemen, he deflected blame for the conflict’s devastating civilian death toll and ignored Saudi Arabia and its coalition’s own actions. Americans for Democracy & Human[…]
19 September 2017 – On 11 September, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Abdulkareem al-Hawaj, leaving him at imminent risk of being executed. With all of his appeals exhausted, al-Hawaj faces execution as soon as King Salman ratifies his sentence, which could happen at any time. Al-Hawaj is now the seventh man[…]