Advocacy / Saudi Arabia
Twitter must ensure user safety as Saudi Arabia issue first death sentence for social media activity
MENA Rights Group joins 15 civil society organisations in condemning Saudi Arabia's use of X (formerly Twitter) as a surveillance tool to crack down on free speech and calling on X to respect human rights, including the right to free expression and the right to privacy, and mitigate any adverse human rights impacts linked to the platform's services and products –including protecting users’ safety and even lives, the right to anonymity.
UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention calls for immediate release of Saudi women’s rights activists Salma al-Shehab and Nourah al-Qahtani
Following a complaint submitted by ALQST for Human Rights, Democracy for the Arab World, Freedom Initiative, Human Rights Foundation and MENA Rights Group, the UNWGAD issued an Opinion qualifying the detention of Saudi activists Salma al-Shehab and Nourah al-Qahtani as arbitrary and in violation of international human rights standards.
Civil society urges French President Macron to consider Saudi Arabia's horrific human rights record during Crown Prince's visit to Paris
Led by MENA Rights Group, civil society organisations wrote a joint letter to French President Emmanuel Macron amid Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Paris, urging him to consider the widespread human rights violations occurring in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia: Microsoft should suspend data center plans
MENA Rights Group joins 17 organisations in urging Microsoft to suspend its plans to invest in a new cloud data center in Saudi Arabia due to the country's record of human rights violations.
Civil society concerned over Saudi Arabia’s attempt to whitewash its human rights record through the World Expo 2030
Led by MENA Rights Group, civil society calls on the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) to exclude the candidacy of Saudi Arabia as a potential host for World Expo 2030 on account of its grave and internationally documented and recognised appalling human rights record.
Saudi authorities must release human rights defender Mohammed al-Qahtani and other ACPRA members who are arbitrarily detained
We, the undersigned human rights organisations, call on Saudi authorities to reveal the health condition of and immediately and unconditionally release prominent Saudi human rights defender and co-founder of the now dissolved Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA)*, Dr. Mohammed al-Qahtani, who has been detained incommunicado for six months. We also call for the immediate and unconditional release of four ACPRA members who remain in arbitrary detention.
53 groups urge passage of Senate 502B resolution on Saudi Arabia
MENA Rights Group joined a group of civil society organisations in expressing our support for the passage of the S.Res.109 pursuant to Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act. The resolution, initiated by US Senators Chris Murphy and Mike Lee, requests information on human rights violations in Saudi Arabia when discussing foreign aid to the Kingdom.
Open letter: NGOs call on Boeing to urge Saudi Arabia to lift travel bans on peaceful activists
MENA Rights Group joins 7 human rights NGOs in sending an open letter to Boeing in light of their latest commercial deals with Saudi Arabia, calling on the latter to lift travel bans on human rights activists.
UN Human Rights Council must hold Saudi Arabia accountable for repression of activists
During the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, MENA Rights Group, Right Livelihood and ALQST for Human Rights spoke during the debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention. More specifically, we shed light on the increasing repression of human rights defenders and peaceful dissidents in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: End Male Guardianship
On International Women's Day, MENA Rights Group joined 7 organisations in calling for the end of male guardianship in Saudi Arabia, which is particularly codified by the Personal Status Law.