Journalist’s killing casts spotlight on array of human rights abuses
WASHINGTON — The gruesome killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside a Saudi diplomatic installation in Turkey last month has cast a world spotlight on rights abuses by the conservative desert kingdom.
But the outcry over President Trump’s seeming indifference — his declaration Tuesday that he was, in essence, taking the word of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over that of American intelligence agencies, which say the kingdom’s young de facto ruler almost certainly authorized Khashoggi’s assassination — points up another uncomfortable phenomenon: Although Western governments are often critical of the Saudi flouting of human rights standards, most are nonetheless willing to continue doing business with its oil-rich absolute monarchy.
Here is a look at some widely cited violations of basic rights in Saudi Arabia. Harsh punishments: Saudi Arabia’s judicial system is grounded in Shariah, or Islamic law. It has one of the world’s highest rates of executions, usually carried out by beheading with a sword. Other punishments include amputations of a hand or foot and public floggings.
Women’s rights: t Saudi women are still subject to “guardianship” rules, rooted in Islamic law, that relegate them to the status of legal minors, requiring the permission of a male relative, sometimes a young boy, to marry, travel abroad or make other important life decisions.
Sidelining of rivals: A year ago, the crown prince launched what was billed as an anticorruption drive that saw the detentions of about 200 people. The government said it seized more than $100 billion in improperly gained assets, but suspicions that the crown prince was acting primarily to consolidate his power.
Jailing of dissidents: Saudi Arabia has for decades kept a tight lid on dissent, and rights groups say that practice has continued unabated — even intensified — since Mohammed became crown prince in 2017, with clerics, journalists, intellectuals and activists among the targets. Dozens of human rights defenders have been placed behind bars, sometimes without trial.
Repression of religious minorities: Saudi Arabia’s Shiite Muslim minority, making up about 15 percent of the population, has long been subject to discrimination and repression. War in Yemen: The crown prince has spearheaded Saudi Arabia’s military role in the 3-yearold civil war in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country.The grinding conflict has given rise to the world’s most acute humanitarian crises; at least half of the population of 28 million is considered at risk of famine.