Contact Us


About Us


This page is the English version of Almasirah Media Network website and it focuses on delivering all leading News and developments in Yemen, the Middle East and the world. In the eara of misinformation imposed by the main stream media in the Middle East and abroad, Almasirah Media Network strives towards promoting knowledge, principle values and justice, among all societies and cultures in the world

Sentence of 11 Years in Prison against 35 Female Opinion Activists in Saudi Arabia

News - Middle East: Human rights sources revealed that one collective verdict was issued against 35 female opinion activists in Saudi Arabia, to 11 years in prison, without guaranteeing the minimum standards of justice.

Thewina Organization for Human Rights stated that the judicial authorities in Saudi Arabia have not stopped issuing unfair rulings against female activists and detainees in their prisons for years.

The organization reported that in late December, the Specialized Criminal Court issued a collective sentence of 11 years in prison to 35 female detainees, in a dangerous precedent for human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, the price of which was paid by the detained female activists and human rights defenders.

According to the organization, the verdict came against the activists for expressing their opinions on social media. It was not satisfied with the arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances they were subjected to, but rather reinforced this by issuing a single collective verdict.

The names of the detainees against whom the verdict was issued were not known, which indicates that they were denied their legal right to appoint a defense lawyer, as indicated by Article 4 of the Criminal Procedure Law. It stipulates that every detainee has the right to appoint a lawyer during the investigation and trial stages.

Thewina Organization confirmed that this is one collective ruling against 35 female activists, an unfair ruling that doubled the suffering of female detainees and their families and deprived them of family reunion at a time when people are welcoming a new year.

The human rights organization condemned this unfair sentence against those activists who expressed their opinions in a peaceful manner, calling on the Saudi authorities to immediately stop the implementation of the sentence.

Human Rights Watch has listed the Saudi state among the ten most prominent human rights violators around the world in 2022.

The organization highlighted the mass execution in Saudi Arabia of 81 men, ranked second in the list of the top 10 human rights violations around the world.

The organization indicated that on March 12, 2022, the Saudi authorities executed 81 men. It is the largest mass execution in years, despite recent promises to reduce the use of the death penalty. Many families learned of the death of their loved ones after the fact and through the media.

Saudi Arabia has toughened its crackdown on opponents and activists since MBS became the country's de facto leader in 2017.

As global calls to hold Saudi Arabia’s leaders accountable – notably over the state-sponsored murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 – have become more muted, the authorities have reverted to their habitual pattern of repression.

In 2018, this repression extended to the country’s leading women’s rights advocates who have advocated ending the male guardianship system. 

On May 15, just weeks before the Saudi authorities lifted the ban on women driving on June 24, authorities began arrests of prominent women’s rights activists and accused several of them of grave crimes like treason that appear to be directly related to their activism.

Human rights groups expressed concern that governments such as the US Biden administration and the government of President Emmanuel Macron in France have given Saudi Arabia a blank check to repress human rights. Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom tweeted in condemnation of the ruling and criticized the lack of UK government action to hold a “friend and ally” accountable on human rights.

The US State Department spokesperson said that it is “studying” the case and commented in a news conference that “exercising the freedom of expression to advocate for rights of women should not be criminalized.” However, President Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia in July was seen by many as a victory for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a failure to secure a commitment to halt the clampdown on freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.

In late July, President Macron hosted Mohammed bin Salman for a meeting at the Elysée Palace in Paris, another indication of the end of Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic isolation for human rights violations.

 

#Saudi Arabia #Human Rights 23-01-05
who are we

This page is the English version of Almasirah Media Network website and it focuses on delivering all leading News and developments in Yemen, the Middle East and the world. In the eara of misinformation imposed by the main stream media in the Middle East and abroad, Almasirah Media Network strives towards promoting knowledge, principle values and justice, among all societies and cultures in the world

copyright by Almasirah 2024 ©

Close gallery