On 7 February 2017, the Trump administration announced that it would approve the sale of a $300 million precision-guided missile technology package to Saudi Arabia despite ongoing concerns about the kingdom’s involvement in the conflict in Yemen and civilian casualties. The escalating conflict in Yemen has produced a death toll of over 10,000 citizens with[…]
On 3 April 2017, Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, urged support for the renovation of historic Jedda. He emphasized the importance of preserving cultural heritage sites, where “a large presence of citizens…are a remarkable indication that people long for the heritage of this country.” However, the[…]
5 April 2017 – UK Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday to begin a two-day visit to discuss security, trade, and investment with the Saudi regime. As this visit approached, Prime Minister May repeatedly sidestepped questions about human rights and largely demurred when prompted with questions over whether such concerns would be[…]
On 21 March 2017, Nader Almatrook delivered an oral intervention at the 34th session of the Human Rights Council under Item 9 on behalf of Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain. In his intervention, Almatrook brought the Council’s attention to religious discrimination in Saudi Arabia, particularly against the country’s Shia Muslim minority population[…]
On 9 March 2017, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) held a panel discussion on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity as a human rights priority for all states. In the dialogue that ensued, speakers and organizations spoke of healthcare as a human right, and sharply criticized policies and practices around the world that contribute to[…]