HLHR.org
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
  • HOME
  • WHO WE ARE
  • TAKE ACTION
  • NEWS
  • RESEARCH
  • IMPACT
  • RESOURCES
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • WHO WE ARE
  • TAKE ACTION
  • NEWS
  • RESEARCH
  • IMPACT
  • RESOURCES
No Result
View All Result
hlhrorg
No Result
View All Result
Home Important

Amid human rights concerns, Biden unable to strap Bin Salman

Amid human rights concerns, Biden unable to strap Bin Salman

October 19, 2021
0
Amid human rights concerns, Biden unable to strap Bin Salman

Human Lives Human Rights: Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” as he entered the office and promised to put human rights at the center of his foreign policy.

However, the regional experts say that he has failed to impose serious costs on Riyadh, while emboldening the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, to act with impunity when it comes to respecting human rights, including the targeting of dissidents.

READ ALSO

Attempts for the membership of Human Rights Council and supporting terrorism – Part 2

Rights groups call on UN to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia

The administration stresses it brings up the issue of human rights in its meetings with Saudi officials, continuing to raise the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of a Saudi hit squad operating with the approval of the crown prince.

Meanwhile, it also views the relationship between Washington and Riyadh as vital.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, standing alongside the Saudi foreign minister at the State Department on Thursday, said the two countries work together on “very significant issues, from climate to energy to Yemen to Iran.”

The secretary added that he would also talk “about the continued progress we hope to see in Saudi Arabia on rights.”

But critics argue that the Saudis are dismissing such rhetoric from the administration.

Advocates say that the disappearance and jailing of dissidents is ongoing, allegations of torture in prison are widespread and decades-long sentences are out of proportion with the alleged crimes.

“I think the Saudis are showing their utter contempt for Joe Biden’s human rights policy,” said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow and director of the Brookings Intelligence Project who has served four presidents as an adviser on the Middle East.

“They’ve had more than eight months now to size up the administration and they’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not serious on this issue.”

Areej Al Sadhan, whose brother Abdulrahman was sentenced to 20 years in prison and a 20-year travel ban in Saudi Arabia for running a satirical Twitter account that was deemed critical of the Kingdom, is calling for the president to more forcefully hold Riyadh to account.

He’s one of 89 U.S. persons that the nonprofit group Freedom Initiative estimates have been disappeared, detained, or under travel bans at some point in 2021 in Saudi Arabia, according to a report they published this month.

In the weeks leading up to, and following, Biden’s inauguration, Saudi Arabia did appear to take steps to address some of its most criticized behavior.

This included releasing in February the prominent women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who weeks earlier was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for protesting the ban on women driving.

Biden held a call with Saudi’s King Salman at the time where he “noted positively” the release of al-Hathloul and other Saudi-American activists.

Cathryn Grothe, a research associate at the human rights and democracy-focused organization Freedom House, said they continue to document Saudi authorities targeting outspoken critics and journalists with surveillance, disproportionate criminal penalties and harassment online and in the real world.

“There’s still hundreds of journalists and activists, bloggers, government critics who are continually harassed,” Grothe said.

“We also know, I think just in the last year, there have been reports of incredible torture in Saudi prisons, the mistreatment of those held in detention. All of this together paints a very grim picture.”

Grothe added that Abdulrahman’s case stands out in particular for the 40-year sentence, calling it “one of the longest we’ve seen handed out for, specifically an online offense, at least in the last few years.”

Varsha Koduvayur, geopolitical analyst with the security analysis firm Valens Global, said the fallout from the Biden administration’s chaotic exit from Afghanistan has made it more reliant on regional partners, with close cooperation prioritized over efforts to press for human rights reforms.

“The administration has put itself in a bind where it cannot be as forceful on human rights without fearing some loss of cooperation with Saudi Arabia or a disruption to its regional strategy,” she said.

“There was space to have pursued human rights while also preserving the areas of cooperation with Saudi Arabia, but the administration did not pursue this vigorously enough. It’s a bind of its own making, though.”

The administration is unlikely to come under much pressure from Congress.

 

Tags: AbdulrahmanAreej al-SadhanBidenBrookings Intelligence Projecthuman rightsPariahSaudi

Related Posts

Attempts for the membership of Human Rights Council and supporting terrorism - Part 2
Important

Attempts for the membership of Human Rights Council and supporting terrorism – Part 2

June 28, 2022
Rights groups call on UN to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia
Important

Rights groups call on UN to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia

June 20, 2022
Increase in detention of Palestinian children by the Israeli forces since 2015
Important

Increase in detention of Palestinian children by the Israeli forces since 2015

May 18, 2022
Time to end Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians
Important

Time to end Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians

May 12, 2022
Hamid Nouri's case contradicts with Sweden's human rights defender claims
Important

Hamid Nouri’s case contradicts with Sweden’s human rights defender claims

May 10, 2022
Steven Donziger released after almost 1,000 days of unjust detention
Important

Steven Donziger released after almost 1,000 days of unjust detention

April 27, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

43 + = 50

POPULAR NEWS

Palestinian detainees cross 100 days of boycotting Israeli courts

Palestinian detainees cross 100 days of boycotting Israeli courts

April 15, 2022
Analysis of Taliban offensive and necessary action

Analysis of Taliban offensive and necessary action

April 11, 2022
Taliban rule accompanied by killings and abuses

Taliban rule accompanied by killings and abuses

April 17, 2022
What was behind the death of Qatar's migrant workers?

What was behind the death of Qatar’s migrant workers?

April 21, 2022
Rights groups demand whereabouts of detained Egyptian journalist

Rights groups demand whereabouts of detained Egyptian journalist

April 24, 2022

EDITOR'S PICK

UN scales down food aid to Yemen sue to insufficient funds

UN scales down food aid to Yemen sue to insufficient funds

December 22, 2021

You Can’t Move: Israel violating Palestinians’ right to free movement

April 24, 2021
Increase in detention of Palestinian children by the Israeli forces since 2015

Increase in detention of Palestinian children by the Israeli forces since 2015

May 18, 2022

Research: Israel’s medical sanctions on Palestinians

April 11, 2021
HLHR.org

About HLHR

Ours is a familiar story. A group of friends from all over the world have come together to chase the dream many others have chased before and are religiously working to fulfill; a world where human lives and human rights are treasured.

Recent Posts

  • At least 46 migrants found dead in tractor-trailer in Texas
  • Russian missiles struck a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine, killing 16
  • Attempts for the membership of Human Rights Council and supporting terrorism – Part 2
  • Attempts for the membership of Human Rights Council and supporting terrorism
  • Widespread demolitions and forced evictions carried by Saudi authorities

Categories

No Result
View All Result

© 2021 HLHR.ORG All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • WHO WE ARE
  • TAKE ACTION
  • NEWS
  • RESEARCH
  • IMPACT
  • RESOURCES

© 2021 HLHR.ORG All rights reserved.