Human rights in Saudi Arabia

The situation of human rights in Saudi Arabia is generally considered to be very poor. Under the authoritarian rule of the Saudi royal family, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has enforced strict laws under a doctrine of Wahabism (a fundamentalist interpretation of sharia, Islamic religious law). Many basic freedoms as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights do not exist; it is alleged that capital punishment and other penalties are often given to suspected criminals without due process. Saudi Arabia has also come under fire for its oppression of religious and political minorities, torture of prisoners, and attitude toward foreign expatriates, homosexuality, and women. Though major human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly expressed concern about the states of human rights in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom denies that any human rights abuses take place.

Corporal and capital punishment

Saudi Arabia is one of a number of countries where courts continue to impose corporal punishment, including amputations of hands and feet for robbery, and lashings for lesser crimes such as "sexual deviance" and drunkenness. The number of lashes is not clearly prescribed by law and is varied according to the discretion of judges, and range from dozens of lashes to several thousand, usually applied over a period of weeks or months. The person administering the lashes is required to keep a Qur'an under the armpit of the arm with which he delivers the blows so as to limit the force of the strike. Saudi Arabia also still engages in capital punishment, including public executions by beheading and stoning. Some are also executed in private by shooting. There have also been allegations that crucifixion are carried out.

In 1997, Human Rights Watch examined the case of Abd al-Karim Mara`i al-Naqshabandi, who was executed after being convicted of practising witchcraft against his employer. The organization concluded that the Saudi legal system "fails to provide minimum due process guarantees and offers myriad opportunities for well-connected individuals to manipulate the system to their advantage". [1]

In 2002, the United Nations Committee against Torture criticized Saudi Arabia over the amputations and floggings it carries out under its interpretation of Sharia. The Saudi delegation responded defending "legal traditions" held since the inception of Islam 1400 years ago and rejected interference in its legal system.

Women's rights

By western standards Saudi women face severe discrimination in many aspects of their lives, including education, employment, and the justice system. Women are not allowed to drive or ride bicycles on public roads in large cities. However, many women are capable of driving, and do so on rural roads. Family decisions are also largely made by the women. Education although limited has become an important aspect. Religious police enforce a modest code of dress, sometimes even asking American Armed Services women to cover their heads. In recent years however, many foreigners residing in the Kingdom have reported that enforcement of dress code laws have become less strict. Institutions from schools to ministries to restaurants are always gender-segregated.

Slavery and human trafficking

The nations of the Arabian peninsula were among the last to outlaw slavery. Despite this formal prohibiton, stories of slavery and human trafficking continue.

In 1962, Saudi Arabia outlawed the practice freeing about 10,000 slaves out of an estimated 15,000-30,000.[2] Slavery was ended by neighboring Qatar in 1952, the Yemen Arab Republic in 1962, the UAE in 1963, South Yemen in 1967, and Oman in 1970. Some of these states, such as Yemen, were British protectorates. The British left South Yemen without forcing it to give up slavery, but did pressure the UAE into giving it up. In 2005, Saudi Arabia was designated by the United States Department of State as a Tier 3 country with respect to trafficking in human beings. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so."

See also Human trafficking in Saudi Arabia.

Gay rights and AIDS

Main article Gay rights in Saudi Arabia

All sexual activity outside of a traditional heterosexual marriage is illegal. Punishment for homosexuality, cross-dressing or being involved with anything that hints at the existence of an organized gay community will range from imprisonment, deportation (for foreigners), lashes, and sometimes execution.

Any foreigner found to be infected with HIV, the virus which causes AIDS (or, indeed, any other serious medical condition), is deported to their country of origin. Treatment options available for Saudi citizens are limited, and the government has only recently begun to recognize the United Nations World AIDS Day memorial service.

Condoms are available in some hospitals and pharmacies.

Political Freedoms

Freedom of speech and the press are restricted to forbid criticism of the government or endorsement of "un-Islamic" values. The government officially bans satellite television, but the rule is generally ignored. Trade unions and political organizations are banned. Public demonstrations are forbidden.

Political parties are banned, but some political dissidents were freed in the 1990s on the condition that they disband their political organizations. Only the Green Party of Saudi Arabia remains, although it as an illegal organization [3]. The 1990s marked a slow period of political liberalization in the kingdom as the government created a written constitition, and the advisory Consultative Council, the later being an appointed delegration of Saudi scholars and professionals that are allowed to advise the king.

In 2005 the Saudi government announced that half of the city government positions would be elected in non-partisan races. The government has also permitted the creation of some human rights organizations and national debates about the role of women in Saudi Arabia and the depiction of Islam in the western world.

Religious freedoms

Main article: Status of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia forbids missionary work by any religion other than Islam. Officially all religions other than Islam are banned and churches are not allowed. Unofficially the government acknowledges that many of the foreign workers are Christian and on Aramco civilian compounds, foreign Christians are generally allowed to worship in private homes or even hold services at local schools provided that it is not spoken of in public. This is a degree of unofficial tolerance that is not given to Judaism, or Atheism.

In theory, the government can search the home of anyone and arrest or deport foreign workers for owning religious icons and symbols, i.e. a Bible, or rosary. Yet, this generally does not occur on the Aramco compounds and the most common policy for foreign Christians is similar to the United States Armed Forces policy for homosexuals (Don't Ask, Don't Tell). The government tolerates the presence of Christian workers as long as they remain discreet and in the closet. Christian religious services are generally permitted to occur on Aramco compounds, but public displays of non-Islamic religions symbols, even Christmas decorations, can get foreign workers into trouble.

"Freedom of religion does not exist," the U.S. State Department's 1997 Human Rights Report on Saudi Arabia states. "Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be Muslims. The government prohibits the public practice of other religions." "It is absurd to impose on an individual or a society rights that are alien to its beliefs or principles," Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz declared at the U.N. Third Millennium summit in New York City, New York on 6 September.

Foreigners must conform to local practices in public. Conservative dress is expected, especially for women who travel to rural areas. Shops and restaurants close five times a day for prayer, and public displays of foreign religious or political symbols are not tolerated. During Ramadan eating, drinking, or smoking in public during daylight hours is prohibited. [4] Foreign schools are often required to teach a yearly introductory segment on Islam.

Segregation

Saudi Arabia's practices against women have been referred to as "gender apartheid" and "sexual apartheid".[5] [6] [7] [8] Saudi Arabia's treatment of religious minorities has also been described as "apartheid".[9] [10] [11] [12] Until March 1, 2004, the official government website stated that Jews were forbidden from entering the country.[13]

See also

• Mutaween
• Gay rights in Saudi Arabia

External links

• Amnesty International 2003 report on Saudi Arabia
• Freedom House on Saudi Arabia
• Censorship in Saudi Arabia: IFEX
• Saudi Arabia: 14-Year-Old Boy Faces Execution from Human Rights Watch October 27, 2005