Mapping the Saudi State, Chapter 9: The National Human Rights Institutions

*Best viewed in full-screen mode. In Mapping the Saudi State, Chapter 9: The National Human Rights Institutions, ADHRB reviews the two permissible human rights organizations within Saudi Arabia: the government-run Human Rights Commission, and the government-influenced National Society for Human Rights (NSHR). In studying their work and advocacy, ADHRB recognizes their positive contributions to the[…]

Saudi Appellate Courts Binging on Frivolous Lawsuits

Judging by the list of people Saudi Arabian courts sentenced in recent weeks, the kingdom seems to be struggling to determine which forms of religious expression are and are not “criminal.” Last week, a Saudi court sentenced Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh to death for apostasy. Saudi Arabia’s religious police arrested Fayadh at a cafe in[…]

NGOs Urge Sec. Kerry to Act in Case of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr

اضغط هنا من أجل نسخة البيان العربية 20 November 2015 — Washington, DC — Today, a collection of 17 organizations and two individuals working on behalf of human rights and international religious freedom sent a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, urging him to press Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to[…]

Mapping the Saudi State, Chapter 8: The Ministry of Justice

*Best viewed in full-screen mode. In Mapping the Saudi State, Chapter 8: The Ministry of Justice, ADHRB reviews Saudi Arabia’s judiciary. Focusing on the judiciary’s interaction with the criminal justice system, ADHRB finds that Saudi judges, under the watch of the MoJ, lack the independence to adjudicate cases absent monarchical influence; in politically-sensitive cases, they routinely violate[…]

Irritated Profits: Lockheed and Boeing Downplay Human Rights Violations in Yemen

Defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing remain committed to supplying Saudi-led coalition forces with arms despite strong evidence of human rights abuses caused by the bombing campaign in Yemen.  At the recent Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference in Washington DC, Lockheed executive Ronald L. Perrilloux Jr. and Boeing vice president Jeffrey Kohler emphasized the importance of the[…]