Submit a report to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review
Forty-fifth session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (January-February 2024)
This contribution to the Universal Periodic Review of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (fourth cycle) assesses Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations within its borders and its role as one of the leading coalition countries involved in the conflict in Yemen. It is presented by the Arab Council, an international organization established on February 28, 2022, under Swiss law. This initiative emerged to ally with democratic forces committed to upholding the values of the Arab Spring and countering the coalition of authoritarian and corrupt parties that have managed to undermine peaceful democratic uprisings in recent years. The Council’s objectives include defending the principles of the Arab revolutions, advocating for people’s right to make free choices, promoting democratic values, supporting human rights and freedoms, championing just causes in the Arab region, and sharing experiences and expertise in managing transitional periods.
Recommendations of the Arab Council Foundation regarding Human Rights Violations Committed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
1. Ratify all pertinent international human rights conventions and additional protocols while aligning its legal framework with international human rights standards.
2. Cease immediately all forms of arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment designed to extract confessions, as well as put an end to enforced disappearances.
3. Extend a standing invitation to all thematic mandate holders operating under special procedures and address all pending visit requests for country visits.
4. Officially declare a moratorium on the death penalty policy, commute all existing death sentences, categorically prohibit the execution of individuals under 18, and amend relevant national legislation accordingly.
5. Establish an independent national institution for promoting and protecting human rights within Saudi Arabia, adhering to the principles outlined in the Paris Principles of 1993 regarding the status and functioning of national human rights institutions.
6. Guarantee the ability of civil society organizations, activists, and dissidents within Saudi Arabia to freely engage in their civic activities and express their perspectives and agendas for a future characterized by the full respect of human rights without fear of reprisals from authorities.
7. Integrate international human rights standards into Saudi national legislation and reform the judicial system, ensuring its impartiality, independence, and alignment with international standards for fair trials.
8. Curtail the male guardianship system, provide adequate protection mechanisms for women against domestic violence, eliminate gender-based discrimination in divorce, custody, and inheritance matters, and establish a uniform marriage age of 18 for both sexes.
9. Amend existing laws to enable Saudi women married to foreigners to transfer citizenship rights to their husbands.
10. Promptly release all detainees and victims of enforced disappearances without imposing any conditions, conduct thorough and transparent investigations into all cases of enforced disappearance, and ensure accountability and reparations for both victims and their families.
11. Halt all breaches of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in Yemen, including the prohibition of attacks on civilians and civilian objects, carry out impartial and transparent investigations into violations, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide reparations to victims.
12. Discontinue the recruitment of mercenaries in the ongoing Yemeni conflict, abstaining from taking advantage of the challenging living conditions faced by Yemeni families and youth.
13. Establish mechanisms for the accountability of Saudi political and military officials implicated in committing severe crimes in Yemen, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, focusing on promoting truth, justice, and reparations for victims and their families.
14. Cease the recruitment of Yemeni mercenaries immediately, disclose the fates of individuals killed, and provide information on the locations of their graves within Saudi territory.
Arab Council Foundation
