24 May 2017 – The UN Special Rapporteurs on cultural rights, adequate housing, and extreme poverty today released a statement calling on the Government of Saudi Arabia to immediately halt its ongoing demolition of the 400-year-old Mosawara neighborhood in the Eastern Province city of Awamiyah. This is the second such statement from the three UN[…]
On 19 May, President Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia for his first overseas trip as president. During his trip, he will also visit Israel, the Vatican, and take part in a NATO meeting in Brussels and the G7 meeting in Sicily. His trip comes amid news that the US government will[…]
On Wednesday 10 May, Saudi security forces launched a raid into the Eastern Province city of Awamiyah. The raid is ongoing and has resulted in security forces shooting and killing at least one individual. While Saudi security forces have run military and security operations in Awamiyah several times since 2011, activists say this raid is[…]
On 4 May 2017, Ben Emmerson, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, returned from a five-day visit of Saudi Arabia. Upon the conclusion of his trip, he released his preliminary observations. While he noted that the Saudi government was engaging in some positive steps to[…]
On 30 April 2017, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, Ben Emmerson, arrived in Saudi Arabia for a five-day visit—he left today, 4 May. During his visit, he sought “to provide assistance in the implementation of the country’s 2014 Penal Law for Terrorism and its[…]