Reuters news agency highlighted the Saudi regime spending of billions of riyals to cover its human rights violations and try to improve the Kingdom’s image internationally.
The agency said in a report that the Saudi government spends billions of riyals to close eyes at home at a slower-than-expected economic growth.
The agency added that the Saudi government is trying to avoid Western criticism of the Kingdom’s black record in the field of human rights, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year whose stained the image of the Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
Reuters’ report dealt with a square in the center of Riyadh, which was for decades, criminals gathered in the Kingdom after Friday prayers to beheaded with a sword in a public scene under the supervision of the Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice.
Now, families are wandering around, carrying coffee cups on their pages, with designs of various shapes, in the place where foreigners call it (Chop-Chop), with the same square of beheading where blood was previously bursting.
And when the night relaxes the blackout curtains, customers pay 5,000 riyals ($ 1,333) in a restaurant specially made by Ibiza to provide alcohol-free services.
According to Reuters, these stark contradictions come to life, accompanied by rapid social changes at the hands of Muhammad bin Salman, including lifting the ban on women driving, gender mixing and public entertainment.
She added that the worrying clouds hang over heads in the kingdom because of Bin Salman’s openness, and even his supporters are concerned and doubts that his quick steps may provoke a strong response from the conservatives.
A businessman likened this new situation to sitting in the back seat of a speeding car, unable to see the front, in the hope that the driver would know the road signs and where to take you.
Festive appearances in the same location as executions are part of the government’s entertainment campaign, which aims to keep money spent by Saudis abroad and encourage leisure and recreation.
New tourist visas have lured some visitors and vacationers, and temporary activities and entertainment areas such as safaris, a theme park and an open-air theater have attracted more than eight million visitors to Riyadh since October.
Despite the glistening façade, executions continue to take place in lesser-known locations, where the United Nations has said that at least 134 death sentences have been carried out so far this year.
Fears of a backlash are growing after a man stabbed three artists during a show last month, but his motives were unclear.
Some options seem to have been designed to send a signal to potential opponents that their time is over.
The main building in (Chop Chop), whose official name is Safat Square, belongs to the religious police that Prince Muhammad restored in 2016.
And now, the water is dancing in the fountains outside, embracing the rhythms of music, and a bright banner blurring their glow with their slogan, which reads “The Pulse of Riyadh”.
In Diriyah, the Saudis dance at parties near the Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, the founder of the Wahhabi school of thought in the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, restaurants are serving alcohol-free meals amid speculation that alcohol will soon be allowed.
Such indulgence can be elusive and ultimately beyond the ability of the authorities to control. A veiled woman was referred to the public prosecutor after video footage of her dancing in public was released.
However, in other video clips, the American rapper Ross is waving a bra that was thrown onto the stage at a concert recently, and in a high-end café, a Saudi couple is seen stealing a chaste kiss.