How the New King in Saudi Arabia Could Help His People
Saudi Arabian King Abdullah's death Thursday ends a fourteen-and-a-half year reign that saw marginal policy changes, particularly as they relate to human rights.
Though his successor, King Salman, is no spring chicken at 79 years old, he may still be able to effect change in a country known as much for its human rights abuses as it is for its prosperous oil fields.
After news of King Abdullah's death broke, world leaders, unsurprisingly, scrambled to offer their posthumous praise and reassert their support of the for oil-rich nation. International human rights organizations, however, have criticized the late leader for falling short on a variety of human right issues.
Here are some of the key areas where King Salman could make great strides to improve the human rights record of his predecessor.
Women's rights
A discriminatory male guardianship system is in place that prevents women from getting a passport, getting married, or traveling without permission from a male guardian. The woman's husband, father, brother, or son typically controls these aspects of her life.
Some gains were made for women during Abdullah's reign, particularly in opening up new employment sectors. In February 2013, King Abdullah appointed 30 women to the country's Shura Council, an advisory group that gives recommendations for the cabinet. But his actions came short of promises made when he first came into power.
“It is not enough to for women to sit on the Shura Council if they can’t even drive themselves to work,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement sent to Mashable. King Abdullah told Barbara Walters in a 2005 interview that he expected a change to existing laws banning women from driving, but that has still not become a reality for the women of Saudi Arabia.
"I believe the day will come when women drive. In fact, if you look at the areas in Saudi Arabia, the deserts and in the rural areas, you will find that women do drive," said King Abdullah. "The issue will require patience. In time, I believe it will be possible."
Capital punishment
Saudi Arabia does not have a written penal code, allowing judges wide discretion in determining what behavior constitutes a criminal offense. According to Human Right's Watch, judges continue to jail and sentence people for “sorcery” and “sowing discord.”
The country's routine public beheadings have caused outrage in the international community. On Jan. 12, a Burmese woman who was convicted of abusing her stepdaughter and sentenced to death, was publicly beheaded on a Mecca highway.
Footage of the execution shows the woman being dragged through the street by a number of men in military uniform before one beheads her with a sword.
Saudi Arabia has executed at least 11 people so far this year.
Religious tolerance
Saudi Arabia does not allow the public practice of any religion other than Islam.
The Sunni-ruled kingdom took steps towards increasing religious tolerance during King Abdullah's reign, but little has come from attempts at establishing true freedom of religion. In 2003, King Abdullah held a national dialogue series to bring Saudis together to discuss religious extremism and tolerance but religious minorities' rights remain limited.
IMAGE: KHALID MOHAMMED/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“King Abdullah was a great champion of religious dialogue outside the kingdom, but these initiatives produced few benefits for Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority, who continue to face systematic discrimination and are treated as second-class citizens,” Stork said.
In 2011 and 2012 Shia citizens of Saudi Arabia protested against the limitations, but authorities responded with force and arrested many of those who took part.
LGBT rights
Homosexuality is punishable with the death penalty in Saudi Arabia under the country’s interpretation of sharia law, so King Salman would have a ways to go in protecting the rights of Saudi Arabia's LGBT citizens.
In July 2014, a 24-year-old man was sentenced to 450 lashes and three years in prison after reportedly tweeting about meeting other gay men.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, Saudi Arabia's religious police, was alerted about the tweets and set up the man using an undercover agent, reported Saudi news agencies at the time.
Freedom of speech
Since 2011, Saudi courts have handed down prison sentences of more than 10 years for speech-related crimes. Saudi human rights lawyer Abdulaziz AlHussan told the Associated Press that some of the country's judges are issuing "extreme punishment, without limitation, without accountability."
"The spread of Internet and social media empowered Saudi citizens to speak openly about controversial social and political issues, creating a broader social awareness of Saudi Arabia’s human rights shortcomings, but after 2011, Saudi authorities sought to halt online criticism through intimidation, arrests, prosecutions, and lengthy prison sentences," said HRW.
Raif Badawi, a Saudi blogger, was arrested in 2012 for penning articles criticizing the religious leadership of the country on a liberal blog he created. His case has drawn international condemnation after he was found guilty of breaking Saudi Arabia's technology laws and insulting Islamic religious figures and sentenced in May to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes.
IMAGE: IMAGO/ZUMA PRESS
His punishment has twice been postponed, and the top United Nations human rights official has called the sentence "a form of cruel and inhuman punishment."
Family spokesperson Dr. Elham Manea said the Badawi's wife and children are "hoping that the new king will pardon him as a gesture of a new beginning in the kingdom."
“King Abdullah came to power promising reforms, but his agenda fell far short of achieving lasting institutional gains for Saudi citizens,” said Stork told Mashable. “King Salman, the new ruler, should move the country forward by ending intolerance for free expression, rooting out gender and sectarian discrimination, and fostering a fair and impartial judicial system.”
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