Saudi Arabia celebrates the 92nd National Day on September 23, 2022. Under the slogan "It is our home," the head of the Entertainment Authority, Turki Al-Sheikh, announced the launch of various festive activities in 13 regions in the country that will last for nine days.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights believes that the Saudi government celebrates the National Day in light of the suffering of citizens and residents from marginalization and destruction of many of their basic rights in the country, and in light of grave violations affecting them.
- - Community intimidation:
The celebration of the 92nd National Day comes weeks after the activist Noura Al-Qahtani was sentenced to prison for a term similar to the age of the country where she was sentenced to 90 years in prison and a travel ban, on charges related to expressing her opinion on social media. In addition, the Saudi government has issued unprecedented harsh sentences recently, including the sentence against activist Salma Al-Shehab, on charges related to the defense of human rights. Many human rights defenders also suffer from travel bans, bans from engaging in any activity, and some activists' families are prevented from moving and traveling.
The celebration of the 92nd National Day comes weeks after the activist Noura Al-Qahtani was sentenced to prison for a term similar to the age of the country where she was sentenced to 90 years in prison and a travel ban, on charges related to expressing her opinion on social media. In addition, the Saudi government has issued unprecedented harsh sentences recently, including the sentence against activist Salma Al-Shehab, on charges related to the defense of human rights. Many human rights defenders also suffer from travel bans, bans from engaging in any activity, and some activists' families are prevented from moving and traveling.
- Executions
In conjunction with the celebration of the 92nd National Day, the Saudi government is threatening the lives of dozens of detainees with the death penalty. According to the figures of the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, which are limited to what was monitored in light of the lack of transparency in official dealings, at least 34 people, including minors, face the death penalty. According to the organization's tracking, in most of the cases that were monitored, the detainees do not face serious charges, and some of them face charges related to expressing opinion and demonstrating.
Among those threatened with execution was Sheikh Hassan Farhan al-Maliki, who was known for his speeches calling for national unity, stopping discrimination policies and combating extremism in order to preserve the country.
Since the beginning of 2022, Saudi Arabia has executed 120 people, despite repeated promises made by the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regarding a moratorium on the death penalty.
- Criminalization of freedom of opinion and expression
The Saudi government imposes severe restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression. While the Entertainment Authority is leading a campaign to urge citizens to participate in the various activities celebrating the National Day, criticism of the Authority's celebrations and festivals it organizes was a sufficient reason for the arrest of a number of people. In addition, the Saudi government uses laws, including the Anti-Terrorism Law and the Cybercrime Law, to hold critics of the king, the crown prince, or other state policies accountable.
- The use of human rights for whitewashing:
Over the past years, Saudi Arabia has faced widespread criticism of human rights violations, including criticism of restrictions, violence against women, grave violations of detainees' rights and conditions for fair trials, among others. With the accession of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his crown prince, Muhammad, to the rule, Saudi Arabia tried to whiten its openness to the international community and paint a new image, and issued many laws and amended others, as well as responding to the United Nations human rights bodies, and receiving human rights experts. Despite this, the changes did not effectively affect human rights, and violations continued, and as an alternative to reform in the human rights file, Saudi Arabia used whitewashing and the elimination of civil society to prevent these violations from becoming public.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights confirms that the celebrations and festivals of the 92nd National Day, which the Saudi government promotes, will remain marked by the suffering of citizens and residents from violations of their basic rights. The organization considers that the priority of the right to life, liberty, safety, and expression of opinion is the first step towards a sense of citizenship and belonging in order to celebrate them.