The Future Of Human Rights In Saudi Arabia

How are women affected?

A discriminatory male guardianship system is in place that prevents women from getting a passport, getting married, or travelling without permission from a male guardian. The woman’s husband, father, brother, or son typically controls these aspects of her life.

Some gains were made for women during Abdullah’s reign, particularly in opening up new employment sectors. In February 2013, King Abdullah appointed 30 women to the country’s Shura Council, an advisory group that gives recommendations for the cabinet. But his actions came short of promises made when he first came into power.

Despite the restrictions, Saudi women do play a big role in society: Ali H. Alyami, the director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR), points out that many women are now studying at universities and are, as he puts it, “doing better than men.”

Suffering of the other sections

While Saudi Arabia is dominated by an ultraconservative Sunni ideology, an estimated 15 percent of the country’s Muslims are Shiite. Human rights groups say the Shiites face discrimination based on their faith — last year, the sentencing of one prominent Shiite cleric to death sparked international criticism. Other non-Islamic religious minorities have also complained of discrimination.

What’s the future of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia?
When King Abdullah died, a lot of human rights activists took umbrage with the fact that he was declared a ‘reformist’. It is  argued that it is a Western misconception that any real reform has taken place.Fahad Nazer, a former political analyst at the Saudi Embassy in Washington says that if you look longer term, things have clearly progressed – albeit “slowly and gradually” – since the time of the Gulf War.

“The whole idea of  human rights itself was seldom discussed in Saudi Arabia a few decades ago,” he writes in an e-mail. “It just wasn’t a part of the Saudi political lexicon.”

Human rights activists link the shift to two factors: Fears emanating from the 2011 Arab Spring protests and pressure from the country’s religious conservatives. It’s unclear what direction the new King Salman will take the country. Saudi Arabia makes use of corporal punishment, including amputations of limbs, although floggings are most commonly used. Executions are also widespread. Both are performed publicly.

Last year Amnesty International noted a “disturbing” rise in the number of executions in Saudi Arabia, which included public beheadings and “crucifixion”. In 2013, there were at least 79 executions, Amnesty says, more than double the number in the United States that year. Human rights groups say that Saudi judges often hand out executions for relatively minor crimes. “Any execution is appalling, but executions for crimes such as drug smuggling or sorcery that result in no loss of life are particularly egregious,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director for Human Rights Watch, said last year.

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A chilling tale of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

Sahar and her three sisters Jawaher, Maha, and Hala have been held under effective house arrest by their father, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, for nearly 13 years. For years, their mother, Alanoud Al Fayez, has been advocating for their release from her home in London. Sahar, the eldest of the four sisters,was asked about the reasons for her confinement and her thoughts on women’s rights in the Kingdom. This is what she had to say.

What situation are you facing under the house arrest?

It’s a battle for survival…we’re literally facing a vicious army: the Saudi National Guard, headed by our half-brother Mitab. He along with our half-brother AbdulAziz, Deputy Foreign Minister, have been issuing orders to abuse us along the years. BThe silence of the world is deafening, as they issued orders to starve us. We were prevented from going out to buy food and water on March 17th, our heavily guarded bimonthly outing. They prohibited home delivery as well. Food will soon run out. We are on one meal a day, surviving on some expired food and distilled seawater.

My sister Jawaher suffers from asthma and is denied her medication. She needs medical help, in fact we all do. We suffer excruciating headaches and backaches. We have been calling on the Red Cross and they are trying to communicate with the Red Crescent, but seems that they are under Saudi control, so we haven’t received a reply yet. We have the right to choose where to seek medical help. The food and medicine is often drugged by the hostile parties. The situation is getting worse, while Saudis continue their crimes with impunity.

Why are you subjected to this house arrest?

We, along with our mother, have always been vocal all our lives about poverty, women’s rights and other causes that are dear to our hearts. We often discussed them with our father. It did not sit well with him and his sons Mitab and AbdelAziz and their entourage. We have been the targets ever since. We have been treated abysmally all our lives, but it got worse during the past 15 years.

We have been told to lose all hope of ever having a normal life. A chance to study, work, and raise a family have been denied us. They wanted us to be hopeless and helpless, to give up like many have in this country. Alas, many human rights organisations, journalists, and lawyers have not helped.

What is the current state of women’s rights in Saudi society?

Women suffer under a brutal ‘guardianship’ system, akin to slavery. Women cannot move an inch without the approval of male guardians, a clear violation of human rights. Women are treated as minors and second class citizens, with no hope of ever growing up or reaching a better position in society as long as such an un-Islamic law is imposed. Male guardianship should be abolished like slavery. It is an abomination, which no civilised country should accept. The international community should not tolerate Saudi’s flagrant dismissal of human rights, indeed women’s rights. Source: Refer here

How do you think full rights can be achieved?

I call out to all women, especially activists in Arabia to unite and call for their human rights, enshrined in the Universal declaration of Human Rights. As the late, great, Madiba (Nelson Mandela) said, ‘There is no such thing as part freedom.’ There is definitely no such thing as part human rights.

We need collective work, unity, and a clear understanding of our own rights and freedoms. People around the world are coming together to fight injustice. We as a people deserve the same rights. Women throughout the world can join hands and support women in this country so they may finally be able to achieve their rights. Global support is needed; public opinion matters and people around the world could help by pressuring their own governments to stop tolerating Saudi flagrant violations of human rights, holding them to account.