Impunity, a black scandal in the record of the Saudi authorities
Sanad Organization for Human Rights considered that the continued impunity represents a black scandal in the record of the Saudi authorities.
The organization said that the Saudi authorities ignore reports, human rights investigations, statements and leaks that prove the involvement of officials and prison guards in crimes of torture, murder and abuse of activists and prisoners of conscience.
The Saudi authorities deliberately conceal officials’ crimes against the country’s people to fuel repression and deprive the freedom of opinion and expression in the absence of justice and the law.
Many officials have been implicated in several crimes, such as the torture of Loujain al-Hathloul, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and many other crimes that involve horrific violations against human rights proven by investigations and leaks.
The criminals involved in crimes against humanity still enjoy governmental protection and absolute freedom and the allocation of housing and comfort to them by the authority, which makes the authority explicitly involved in fueling repression and protecting criminals to continue their crimes.
Meanwhile, the Saudi authorities continue their arbitrary approach against the country’s people through harassment, prosecution, espionage, and collective punishment that affects more than one family member because of peaceful activities or expression of opinion.
Among the most prominent forms of repressive and arbitrary crimes in which the authority has been implicated against the people of the Kingdom is collective punishment, where arrests and travel, movement and permit restrictions are practiced on the families of detainees and opponents.
It seems that the Saudi authorities have ignored the consequences of their unfair policy against the families of opponents and detainees, as international organizations, including Human Rights Watch.
The Saudi authorities also continue to impose movement and travel restrictions on many citizens in the Kingdom without legal justification or respect for human rights and freedoms guaranteed by local and international laws.
Among the most prominent groups that suffer from travel restrictions imposed by the authority on them are the released detainees and the families of detainees and opponents, including the detainee Maryam Al-Otaibi, who was released 4 years ago and was surprised by the decision to prevent her from travelling, as well as the released Loujain Al-Hathloul and the family of Dr Salman Al-Awda and many others.
The Saudi authorities have violated the Arab Charter on Human Rights as stated in Article 27, which states that it is not permissible to arbitrarily or illegally prevent any person from leaving any country, including his own, or to impose a ban on his residence in any party, or to compel him to reside in this country. No one may be exiled from his country or prevented from returning.
Sanad called on the international community and concerned human rights organizations to pressure the authority to limit its arbitrary rulings against its citizens, including activists and release innocent detainees.
