In conjunction with the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Saudi Arabia, on Saturday 24 September 2022, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights sent a message to figures in the German Parliament.
The letter indicated that the visit comes against the backdrop of a sharp deterioration of human rights in Saudi Arabia. While reports indicate that the visit will discuss the issue of the energy crisis, the organization considered it a new instrument of innocence and support for the regime in Saudi Arabia, headed by King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
ESOHR stressed in its message that the emerging crises, and the search for solutions to them, should not be an additional reason for the deterioration of human rights and turn a blind eye to violators.
ESOHR pointed out that its monitoring shows that Saudi Arabia has executed 120 people since the beginning of 2022, and at least 34 people are still facing this punishment. Among them are at least 7 minors: Abdullah Al-Hwaiti, Abdullah Al-Darzi, Youssef Al-Manasif, Jalal Al-Labbad, Sajjad Al-Yassin, Hassan Zaki Al-Faraj and Mahdi Al-Mohsen.
In addition, the letter made it clear that Saudi Arabia escalated against activists and human rights defenders, and issued unprecedented sentences. A few weeks ago, it issued a 68-year prison sentence and travel ban against human rights defender Salma Al-Shehab, and activist Noura Al-Qahtani to 90 years, on charges related to expressing opinion.
The letter mentioned the practice of severe violence by the Saudi authorities against women in an official shelter for orphans against the background of the demands of female inmates in the center for their rights, and the continuation of official violence in prisons, where Saudi Arabia practices torture and ill-treatment on a large scale, and deprives people of their right to a fair trial without any deterrent in light of the deepening policy of impunity.
The letter ended by emphasizing that high-level official visits to Saudi Arabia, without prioritizing human rights, are an unjustifiable disregard. The organization also stressed that these visits give the Saudi government an incentive to continue violations, lengthy sentences and executions with political and diplomatic cover.