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Saudi Arabia pursues seat on UN Human Rights Council
(MENAFN) Saudi Arabia is actively pursuing a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, with the vote scheduled for October 9. The kingdom aims to overcome its previous failure to secure a position on the 47-seat body in 2020. However, this effort comes amid heightened scrutiny from human rights organizations, particularly given that Saudi Arabia has set a record for annual executions in 2024, raising concerns about its human rights practices as nations consider whom to elect to a council focused on the "promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe."
In a statement released in 2020, the Saudi Human Rights Commission asserted that "no one in Saudi Arabia will be executed for a crime committed as a minor," citing a Royal Order issued in March 2020. However, this commitment has not been fully realized; the royal order has not materialized into actual policy changes, and the Arabic version of the declaration specified that the death penalty ban applied only to certain nonviolent crimes, such as drug offenses. Consequently, Saudi Arabia has continued to carry out executions, including those of individuals charged with offenses allegedly committed while they were still minors.
The country's Vision 2030 initiative, championed by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (commonly referred to as MBS), aims to foster "a vibrant society in which all citizens can thrive and pursue their passions." This transformative vision has been interpreted by many as a step toward social liberalization, and the Saudi Human Rights Commission's proposed moratorium on the death penalty seemed to align with this vision. However, actions taken over the past four years suggest that Saudi Arabia remains committed to its capital punishment policies.
As of October 4, 2024, Saudi Arabia has executed 206 individuals, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency, surpassing the previous record of 196 executions set in 2022. Alarmingly, 85 of this year's executions were for non-lethal offenses, including 59 related to drug crimes. This year is on track to become the bloodiest for death row prisoners in Saudi Arabia in the past three decades, further highlighting the stark contrast between the kingdom's public statements regarding human rights and the realities of its judicial practices.
In a statement released in 2020, the Saudi Human Rights Commission asserted that "no one in Saudi Arabia will be executed for a crime committed as a minor," citing a Royal Order issued in March 2020. However, this commitment has not been fully realized; the royal order has not materialized into actual policy changes, and the Arabic version of the declaration specified that the death penalty ban applied only to certain nonviolent crimes, such as drug offenses. Consequently, Saudi Arabia has continued to carry out executions, including those of individuals charged with offenses allegedly committed while they were still minors.
The country's Vision 2030 initiative, championed by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (commonly referred to as MBS), aims to foster "a vibrant society in which all citizens can thrive and pursue their passions." This transformative vision has been interpreted by many as a step toward social liberalization, and the Saudi Human Rights Commission's proposed moratorium on the death penalty seemed to align with this vision. However, actions taken over the past four years suggest that Saudi Arabia remains committed to its capital punishment policies.
As of October 4, 2024, Saudi Arabia has executed 206 individuals, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency, surpassing the previous record of 196 executions set in 2022. Alarmingly, 85 of this year's executions were for non-lethal offenses, including 59 related to drug crimes. This year is on track to become the bloodiest for death row prisoners in Saudi Arabia in the past three decades, further highlighting the stark contrast between the kingdom's public statements regarding human rights and the realities of its judicial practices.
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