Saudi Arabia claimed that the individuals who were confirmed in the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations that they were subjected to reprisals against the background of cooperation with the UN mechanisms were arrested for committing what it described as illegal acts.
In a speech during the discussion of the report of the General Secretariat on September 29, 2022, as part of the work of the 51st session of the Human Rights Council, which will be held from September 12 to October 7, the representative of the Saudi delegation, Shatha Adel al-Ahmadi, said that her country does not criminalize or punish anyone except based on specific legal and regulatory texts.
Saudi Arabia responded to the information provided by the Secretary-General’s report on the reprisals against several human rights defenders, including Samar Badawi, Loujain al-Hathloul, and Issa al-Nukhaifi, who was arrested, tried, and faced accusations, including concerning communicating and cooperating with United Nations mechanisms.
Al-Ahmadi said that all legitimate peaceful practices are not criminalized, but are guaranteed by the regulations, adding, "as long as they are practiced in an objective context so that they do not violate national security, public order, the rights of others and other restrictions."
The European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights asserts that Saudi Arabia is trying to mislead the international community through the false information it repeats. In addition to the broad phrases it uses to criminalize peaceful practices such as: practising them in an objective context that does not violate public order, it does not mention that the charges brought against the detainees include direct charges of communicating with external parties or distorting the image of the country, about the talk about violations of human rights.
ESOHR believes that the claim that peaceful practices are legitimate and not criminal contradicts the reality, which confirms the prosecution, arrest and torture of individuals based on expressing an opinion, tweeting or defending rights, and this has recently intensified with the standard and unprecedented sentences that reached 90 years.