On 28th November, Amnesty International called for Saudi Arabia to “immediately and unconditionally” release persons placed in custody and convicted solely for exercising their freedom of online expression. Amnesty requested that the releases be made before the 19th annual United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting, which will be held in Saudi Arabia from December 15th to 19th, 2024.

Release Detainees to Prove Respect for IGF Themes

In urging Saudi Arabia to release detainees, Amnesty stated that the country can demonstrate its respect for IGF themes by protecting the freedom of online expression. Failure to release the detainees would then be considered a sign that Saudi Arabia does not uphold IGF values.

“While Saudi authorities lead discussions on shaping the future of Internet governance, they continue to lock up, impose decades-long prison sentences and travel bans and forcibly disappear people for online expression,” said Amnesty’s Middle East Campaigner Bissan Fakih.

Amnesty maintained that releasing the detainees would prove that Saudi is committed to the values of the IGF.

“Unless all detainees held for expressing their concerns online are unconditionally released, the hypocrisy of Saudi’s authorities will be on full display,” Fakih added.

Advancing Human Rights and Inclusion in the Digital Age

While the IGF encompasses several themes, the focus theme for 2024 was advancing human rights and inclusion in the digital age. The theme aims to equip people, particularly vulnerable and marginalised groups, through collaborative discussions. At the forum, these groups will learn about the advantages of the Internet in the digital age and ensure that the rights they enjoy offline are equally enjoyed online.

Saudi Arabia Has Continued to Violate Online Freedom

Despite the UN’s stated values and the IGF themes calling for countries to safeguard online expression, Saudi Arabia has remained notorious for violating this freedom. Amnesty noted that Saudi Arabian authorities continue to lock people up, forcibly disappear them and impose travel bans. These arbitrary detentions and sanctions are contrary to IGF’s values.

By disregarding its citizens’ right to express themselves, critics maintain that Saudi is violating international human rights laws, including Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This provision of the international law statute stipulates that every person has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to hold opinions without interference.

Other Human Rights Organisations Called Out Saudi Arabia

Besides Amnesty, 39 other human rights organisations had previously called for the release of the detainees by Saudi Arabia in September 2024. However, no favorable response has been forthcoming from the country’s authorities.

Amnesty collected more than 100,000 signatures for a petition demanding the release of the detained persons. The petition was sent to numerous Saudi embassies worldwide, including those in Norway and Spain.

The organisation also requested meetings with the Saudi Human Rights Commission and the Ministries of Interior, Justice and Human Resource and Development. Amnesty aims to have meaningful dialogue with the relevant stakeholders regarding the state of human rights and freedoms in the region.

In amplifying the voices of those unable to speak for themselves in the prevailing circumstances, Amnesty also highlighted the cases of the many detainees held in prisons arbitrarily.

The Specific Cases of Arbitrary Arrests and Detentions

The situation in Saudi Arabia is dire, and several rights organisations have highlighted some of the cases of detainees being prosecuted. One such case is that of Osama Khalid, a medical doctor and Wikipedia administrator. Khalid was sentenced to prison for 32 years on charges of “violating public morals” and “swaying public opinion”.

However, according to sources for a regional human rights nonprofit, DAWN, it is claimed that the Saudi government targeted Khalid for criticizing its persecution of political activists. Khalid is serving his sentence, despite calls for his release from various human rights groups.

A similar case is that of Asaad Al Ghamdi, a teacher sentenced to 20 years in prison in July 2024. The local court convicted Al Ghamdi for violating Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism law on charges of “challenging the religion of the King and the Crown Prince” and “publishing false and malicious news”.

Such convictions have been criticised and cited as an example of how Saudi courts are punishing ordinary citizens for merely expressing their opinions online.

Foreign Visitors Are Also At Risk

Amnesty reports that the arbitrary detentions by the Saudi authorities not only target Saudi citizens but also foreigners who criticise the authorities online before their visit. Foreigners who do so are also at risk of being prosecuted for expressing their opinions online upon landing in Saudi Arabia, especially when such opinion opposes the government.

An example is the case of Dutch-Yemeni citizen Fahd Ezzi Mohammed Ramadhan, who was taken into custody on November 10th, 2023, just two days after arriving in the country. According to him, he believed he had been detained for sympathising with a Saudi royal family critic.

Saudi’s Chance to Turn Rhetoric into Reality

In addition to releasing the detainees, Saudi Arabia has been urged to do away with the unreasonable restrictions on freedom of online expression. While emphasising that Saudi has a chance to change its rhetoric regarding reform to reality, Bissan Fakih stated that:

“Saudi must also loosen baseless restrictions on civic space, including by allowing independent human rights organisations to operate in the country and by engaging in constructive dialogue with human rights groups.”

UN IGF Organising Committee Seeks Assurance

Meanwhile, the IGF organising committee has been urged to obtain public assurances from the Saudi government that all IGF participants will be free from harassment, including detention and surveillance, during or after the forum.

IGF attendees need assurance that they can freely express themselves in the forum. Without such assurance from the Saudi authorities, the event will likely turn into yet another charade aimed at sweeping the country’s violations of human rights and freedoms under the rug.

Source: JURIST News

References:

UN: Declaration of Human Rights
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