Washington-SANA
Human Rights Watch has confirmed that repression and abuses have increased since the arrival of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, noting that his alleged “reforms” have come at a “heavy price” with widespread arrests and torture targeting opponents of his policies.
In a report published on its website, the organization noted the arrest of dozens of people since Ibn Salman came to power and the increase in the number of targeted by the Saudi regime in a short period of time, as well as the spread of repressive practices in Saudi Arabia.
In September 2017, the Saudi authorities began arrest campaigns targeting a wide range of Saudi society, including intellectuals, clerics and human rights activists, as well as prominent businessmen and activists defending women's rights, the organization said, noting that these waves of arrests were often accompanied by defamation campaigns against detainees in Saudi Arabia. Local media loyal to the Saudi regime.
The organization noted that the Saudi regime has launched campaigns to arrest citizens for criticizing its policies peacefully, while the practice of detaining people in unofficial detention centers included torture and ill-treatment in addition to arbitrary detention without trial or charge or clear legal procedures.
According to the organization, the repressive practices of the Al-Saud authorities did not stop the activists and dissidents, but also extended to their relatives, where they imposed an arbitrary travel ban. Out.
The organization pointed to reports showing the Saudi regime's use of commercial surveillance techniques available to hack electronic accounts of opponents of its policies, pointing out that the repressive side of Ibn Salman's record inside Saudi Arabia was not subject to the international scrutiny he deserved after the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his consulate in Istanbul last year shocked public opinion. International.
According to several human rights organizations, the Saudi regime has a black human rights record, continuing arbitrary arrests, prosecutions and convictions of dissidents, and dozens of human rights defenders and activists continue to be jailed for long periods for criticizing these authorities and demanding reforms.
In December last year, Human Rights Watch called on the Saudi regime to allow international independent monitors access to Saudi human rights activists detained since May to ensure their safety after receiving a report on November 28 from an informed source indicating that four activists were tortured. To various sources, torture of female activists may be ongoing.
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