Saudi Arabia has undergone significant transformation over the last decade, encompassing not only changes in urban landscapes, neighbourhoods, and social customs but also a deterioration in human rights. This deterioration is marked by thousands of executions, arbitrary detentions, stifling of freedom of opinion and expression, and suppression that the government attempted to conceal through propaganda and financial means.
In August 2013, amidst the dissolution of domestic human rights organizations and the prosecution of their founders, including the Civil and Political Rights Association (HASM), the Observatory, Justice, and the Union, and with continuous trials and numerous death sentence requests from the public prosecution, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights was established by activists in Germany. Over the course of a decade since its establishment, the organization has closely followed major changes in Saudi Arabia and monitored the decline of human rights within the country. Through various available mechanisms, the organization has attempted to document violations to defend victims and reduce human rights abuses.
Monitoring and Documentation:
From its inception, the European Saudi Organization began monitoring and documenting violations, despite the lack of transparency, official information concealment, and intimidation of families who feared contacting activists abroad.
ESOHR has focused on monitoring executions announced by the Saudi government in the Ministry of Interior's statements and court judgments. Alongside monitoring arrests, raids, and sentences, they have also followed efforts to support women's rights, forced displacement in certain areas, and violations of religious freedoms and freedom of opinion and expression. ESOHR has documented methods of torture and mistreatment suffered by detainees and created a database of victims.
In addition to monitoring,ESOHR has documented cases and violations through information tracking, verification, analysis, and the study of documents it has managed to obtain.
ESOHR has established databases on executions, individuals threatened with execution, detained minors, detained female prisoners, imprisoned journalists, detainees whose bodies are held by Saudi Arabia, and detained religious figures, among other lists. These data sources are used in reports, research, and the provision of information to research centres and organizations.
Reports and Research:
Based on the information and data that ESOHR has managed to gather, it began publishing reports on its dedicated website. These reports summarized the cases documented by ESOHR and the violations committed by Saudi Arabia against international law, in addition to its violations of domestic laws. ESOHR's reports have become an important source of information for the media, human rights organizations, and entities working in the field of human rights worldwide.
During its first year of establishment, ESOHR published 44 articles on its website, including reports, news, and articles. This number increased to 132 during its tenth year. The increasing number of published articles reflects the expansion of the ESOHR's scope of work and the grim reality of violations
Furthermore, ESOHR has engaged in and contributed to various legal research and analyses. This includes research on the situation of stateless individuals (Bedouins) in Saudi Arabia and analyses of several laws enacted in Saudi Arabia. ESOHR has also collaborated with other organizations on joint research projects, including research on the death penalty and minors.
ESOHR has shared its reports with other organizations and the media, and it has also utilized various social media platforms to raise awareness about human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and to share the stories of the victims.
The United Nations:
ESOHR has been collaborating with various United Nations mechanisms since 2013. From the outset, it participated in sessions of the Human Rights Council, responded to invitations from other organizations to attend seminars and sessions, and delivered interventions during the council's sessions.
Over the years, ESOHR's engagement with the work of the council increased significantly. It disseminated information in meetings to concerned countries and relevant entities before Human Rights Council sessions, organized seminars and side events on the margins of the council, and directly participated in its discussions. ESOHR closely monitored the interventions and reports of the Saudi government and official bodies, shedding light on misrepresentation and deception.
Additionally, ESOHR submitted reports to various United Nations bodies, including the Universal Periodic Review, and participated in related discussions by presenting facts, figures, and evidence.
ESOHR also played a role in submitting individual complaints on behalf of victims of Saudi violations over the years and responded to questions from the relevant special rapporteurs. According to the official United Nations website, 121 complaints have been filed against the Saudi government since August 2014 by various mandate holders, and ESOHR contributed to collecting and submitting information for some of these complaints.
Furthermore, ESOHR's members have actively participated in most sessions of the council since its inception, delivering interventions in various discussions, and addressing topics they work on, including executions, torture, women's rights, and others.
Advocacy
ESOHR has raised the issues it has monitored, documented, and published by sending them to the media and creating news stories and media reports. This is done to disseminate information about human rights violations and raise awareness of these issues as a priority.
In addition to traditional media, ESOHR has leveraged social media platforms to expand its outreach. It has established accounts on various platforms to interact with individuals, share information, and raise global awareness about violations. It also seeks to increase local awareness regarding fundamental human rights and Saudi Arabia's obligations under international laws and treaties.
In addition to information dissemination, ESOHR has advocated for victims by providing information to influential global entities to exert pressure on the Saudi government through customary means, including diplomats and parliamentarians. ESOHR has extended its communication with all relevant parties globally and participated in joint meetings and seminars.
ESOHR has taken part in global conferences organized by international organizations and has organized several physical and online seminars. Since 2020, it has initiated an annual conference to support victims of Saudi human rights violations.
ESOHR has been involved in organizing various protests and demonstrations in different countries and locations, including in front of the Saudi embassy and public places in some countries, to raise international awareness about human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, particularly concerning those sentenced to death.
Currently, ESOHR collaborates with several specialized human rights networks, including geographical or thematic networks. It works with partner organizations to issue joint reports and statements, aiming to prioritize human rights and shed light on Saudi violations in the policies of countries and the projects of global companies.
Summary:
Despite the Saudi government's efforts to cover up the facts about its human rights violations in recent years, it has not succeeded. Despite the suppression of civil society within the country, the arrests and intimidation of human rights defenders, and the intimidation of families, information and the stories of victims have continued to reach the world. In contrast to the growing attempts at whitewashing, which have employed sports, diplomacy, and cultural avenues, human rights organizations and activists outside of Saudi Arabia, including ESOHR, have played a crucial role in reaffirming that human rights violations cannot be concealed.