In the sequence of brutal sentences, a Saudi court has issued death sentences to 3 opponents of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Neom project.
The Al-Qast Human Rights Organization announced that the Al-Saud Criminal Court has sentenced “Shadli Al-Huwaiti”, “Ataullah Al-Huwaiti” and “Ibrahim Al-Huwaiti” of the Al-Havitat tribe to death.
These 3 people had refused to vacate their houses and leave the area to implement the Neom City Project.
A month after several other members of the same tribe were sentenced to jail, the court sentenced these three to death. Among those sentenced to prison, some have been sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Shadli al-Huwaiti is the brother of “Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti”, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for refusing to vacate his home in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The confrontation between the Saudi Arabian government and the Alhawitat tribe began about three years ago when the government began to evacuate villages for the Neom project.
The political and legal officer of the “MENA” organization “Ramzi Qais” said in this regard: “Since the visit of US President Joe Biden to Saudi Arabia, Saudi security and judicial authorities have intensified repression of those demanding their rights.”
He added: Long-term sentences against members of the al-Havitat tribe that helped establish Saudi Arabia’s royal dynasty in 1932 is a dangerous new pattern emerging in Saudi Arabia.
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“Leena Al-Hathloul”, head of the Department of Supervision and Communications at Al-Qast Legal Group, also said: This has become a new pattern in Saudi Arabia and that no one will escape this and I think now whoever is arrested will be sentenced for a long term.
What is the Neom city project?
The “Neom” project is a megacity that is planned to be built in the “Taif” region in the north-west of Saudi Arabia, the first phase of which is to be opened by 2025. a city that is said to have an area of 26,500 square kilometers; That is, 33 times bigger than New York City and three times bigger than Qatar.
Neom project and The new pattern of long-term sentence
This is not the first time that Saudi judicial officials have sentenced their opponents to long terms in prison. The al-Qast legal organization recently reported: “Salmi al-Shahab”, a mother of two, “Noura al-Qahtani” a mother of five children, was sentenced to 34 and 45 years in prison, respectively. Both these protesting women had criticized the Saudi government in a series of tweets.
Similarly, during the past weeks, the Saudi court has issued long-term prison for several Saudi missionaries. The sentence of Sheikh “Nasir al-Umar” has been increased from 10 years to 30 years. In addition, Sheikh “Abdul Rahman Al Mahmood” has been sentenced to 25 years, Sheikh “Essam Al Owaid” 27 years and Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Dawesh 15 years.
After Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) became the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, dozens of businessmen, clerics, princes, human rights and women’s rights activists and scholars have been arrested and jailed.
Also, Saudi authorities have arrested several missionaries, including “Salman al-Oudeh”, “Ali al-Omari” and “Awad al-Karni”. Since then, he has been held in custody without trial. Many human rights organizations and activists worry that he too could be sentenced to death.
The dark history of human rights
The suppression of freedom of expression and human rights violations is nothing new in Saudi Arabia. The dark history of human rights has its roots in the history of the Al Saud regime. But observers believe that these actions have intensified in recent times, especially after “Salman bin Abdul Aziz” became king of the country and his son bin Salman started crushing the opponents to take the power. The efforts have led to an increase in the practice of repression and the death penalty.
The al-Saud regime seeks to show that no one can escape the security forces by punishing critics and opponents with severe punishments. The Saudi Crown Prince and his security forces target and punish opponents abroad, and the Saudi government uses social media to target, harass and threaten human rights activists and critics.
Not only are the prince and soldiers the victims of the suppression of freedom of expression and human rights violations by the government of Saudi Arabia, but many prominent Saudi celebrities have also been targeted. No citizen of Saudi Arabia is safe from the capital punishment campaign launched by the Saudi King and his son. Human rights violations in Saudi Arabia have become a dailysope.
