Human Rights and Democracy Report 2017 - Saudi Arabia

There were some positive reforms in Saudi Arabia in 2017, including around the participation of women in society, as well as positive messages around freedom of religion and belief. However, there was a deterioration in freedom of expression and we continue to have concerns about implementation of the death penalty and the treatment of migrant workers.

There have been some improvements in the rights of women in Saudi Arabia. The highest profile reform came with the Royal Decree in September which permitted women to obtain driving licences from June 2018. Other reforms in favour of women's participation in society included the opening up of more professions to women; the removal of restrictions on women entering courts with their faces uncovered; and allowing women to enter stadiums and to participate in public events such as Saudi National Day in September. From May 2017, all Saudi government departments, as well as education and health institutions, have been required to ensure that guardianship requirements are not being imposed upon women in excess of those still required in law. While all of these are steps in the right direction, many restrictions still remain, including the requirement for women to obtain permission from a guardian to apply for a passport, travel abroad, or marry. Female labour force participation remains low at just 21%[42] but Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's economic reform programme, aims to increase this to 30%.

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, visited Saudi Arabia twice in 2017 and raised concerns about human rights, including the death penalty, in her meetings with senior Saudi figures. With Princess Reema bint Bandar, the then Vice Minister of Sport, the Prime Minister discussed how important it was for all Saudi citizens to be able to access sports and leisure and they agreed to work together on efforts to increase the participation of women in sport. Tracey Crouch, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage, visited Saudi Arabia in November to follow up on this work and to press for the removal of remaining barriers for women to access sports in Saudi Arabia.

According to statistics issued by the Saudi Press Agency, confirmed by NGOs, Saudi Arabia executed 146 people in 2017 (c.f. 154 in 2016)[43]. The death penalty was ordered, and executions carried out, for a wide range of offences. Four people were executed for offences related to protesting against the authorities. We continued to express to the Saudi authorities at the most senior levels our strong opposition to the death penalty. The UK, together with our EU partners, also continued to press for a reduction in death sentences and executions, for the application of EU minimum standards, and for implementation to be consistent with the provisions of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

In July, there were media and NGO reports that a group of 14 Shia men were due to be executed imminently, and that two of the group, including Mujtaba al Sweikat, were under 18 at the time of allegedly committing their offences. The Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, set out our position on the death penalty in parliament on 14 July. The UK government raised these cases with the Saudi authorities at ministerial and senior official level and we continued to monitor the situation closely. As of the end of 2017, these executions had not been carried out.

There were positive messages from the Saudi authorities regarding tolerance of religious minorities and on freedom of religion and belief. It remains illegal to practise publicly a religion other than Islam in Saudi Arabia, with penalties including imprisonment. In October, the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman commented publicly that he wanted Saudi Arabia to return to "a moderate Islam open to the world and all religions". A delegation from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Islamic Affairs travelled to the Vatican to meet the Pope in November. We will continue to look for opportunities to work with Saudi Arabia to encourage greater freedom of religion and belief.

There was a deterioration in freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Saudi Arabia in 2017. The UN raised concerns about a pattern of arbitrary arrests and detention of religious figures, writers, journalists, academics and political activists and the use of counter-terrorism legislation to prosecute human rights defenders. UN experts have written to the government of Saudi Arabia asking for more detail on the charges.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia signed the Prime Minister's Call to Action on Modern Slavery and drew up a national action plan to combat human trafficking. However, the sponsorship system in Saudi Arabia remains vulnerable to abuse and exploitation of migrant workers.

In Saudi Arabia education is free at all levels, including public universities, and compulsory up to the age of 15. The Kingdom has made significant investments in education in recent years. More than 50% of those who go on to university are women. The challenge now facing the Kingdom is translating these educational outcomes into increased female labour market participation. The UK is currently running projects in Saudi Arabia supporting the introduction of PE classes for girls; and building capacity, skills and international research links for early career female researchers in STEM.

In 2018, we will continue to focus our efforts on identifying opportunities to work with Saudi Arabia and NGOs to encourage further steps towards allowing women to participate fully in society. We will continue to focus on the application of the death penalty when not consistent with international minimum standards. We will continue to raise specific cases at a senior level with the Saudi Arabian authorities, and to monitor closely the situation relating to freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of expression.

[42] WEF The Global Gender Gap Report

[43] See Annual Human Rights Report 2016