Last week, the EU announced a relaxation of Schengen visa rules for the citizens of Saudi Arabia. No human rights compromises were made in exchange. Since democracy constitutes the best umbrella under which human rights can thrive, the next question follows: What is the current state of democracy in Saudi Arabia? In its new report[…]
Update: Saudi officials released Aisha al-Mana and Dr. Hessa al-Sheikh on 23 May and 24 May respectively. The rest of the activists remain in detention. Many of them have reportedly been able to contact their families, although officials have not allowed Loujain al-Hathloul to contact either her family or her lawyer. 24 May 2018 –[…]
15 March 2018 – On Friday 9 March, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) released its concluding observations on Saudi Arabia’s third and fourth periodic review. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) welcomes the findings of CEDAW in regards to Saudi Arabia. While acknowledging that Saudi Arabia has[…]
In late October, Saudi Arabia granted a robot, called Sophia, citizenship, making it the first robot in the world to officially become the citizen of a state. However, the decision to grant Sophia the privileges of a Saudi national has engendered sharp criticism concerning the kingdom’s treatment of women, in particular the continued imposition of[…]
On Tuesday September 26th, Saudi Arabia, announced in a policy change that it will allow women to drive. However, this move, broadcast simultaneously on state television and in Washington D.C. will not take effect until June of 2018. While several United Nations Human Rights Experts welcomed the announcement and praised the activists who helped bring[…]