Berliner Boersenzeitung - Activist tells Saudi-hosted UN forum of 'silencing' of dissent

EUR -
AED 3.832684
AFN 72.959602
ALL 98.462959
AMD 410.45402
ANG 1.873047
AOA 957.921829
ARS 1062.031565
AUD 1.668562
AWG 1.878277
AZN 1.784801
BAM 1.956057
BBD 2.098476
BDT 124.196346
BGN 1.95543
BHD 0.392152
BIF 3072.704402
BMD 1.043487
BND 1.411486
BOB 7.181945
BRL 6.350643
BSD 1.039337
BTN 88.357629
BWP 14.364891
BYN 3.401248
BYR 20452.35176
BZD 2.089175
CAD 1.498735
CDF 2994.808319
CHF 0.931781
CLF 0.03736
CLP 1030.865674
CNY 7.613704
CNH 7.60587
COP 4549.298739
CRC 524.369013
CUC 1.043487
CUP 27.652414
CVE 110.279514
CZK 25.108428
DJF 185.074358
DKK 7.458116
DOP 63.288329
DZD 140.667513
EGP 53.089373
ERN 15.65231
ETB 129.556951
FJD 2.417812
FKP 0.826423
GBP 0.829839
GEL 2.932642
GGP 0.826423
GHS 15.278011
GIP 0.826423
GMD 75.13081
GNF 8979.181761
GTQ 8.008054
GYD 217.438617
HKD 8.11073
HNL 26.382472
HRK 7.484837
HTG 135.967895
HUF 414.03543
IDR 16874.546735
ILS 3.801242
IMP 0.826423
INR 88.646863
IQD 1361.479186
IRR 43917.772492
ISK 145.170484
JEP 0.826423
JMD 162.611401
JOD 0.739936
JPY 163.242118
KES 134.177659
KGS 90.783029
KHR 4176.549681
KMF 486.395546
KPW 939.138018
KRW 1509.320727
KWD 0.321342
KYD 0.866114
KZT 545.821836
LAK 22747.993892
LBP 93069.24896
LKR 305.14016
LRD 188.634826
LSL 19.134218
LTL 3.081147
LVL 0.631195
LYD 5.106672
MAD 10.460077
MDL 19.14352
MGA 4903.645375
MKD 61.5431
MMK 3389.206159
MNT 3545.769827
MOP 8.320295
MRU 41.33344
MUR 49.25222
MVR 16.052761
MWK 1802.137182
MXN 20.931771
MYR 4.704048
MZN 66.682732
NAD 19.134218
NGN 1616.92545
NIO 38.245033
NOK 11.810924
NPR 141.372606
NZD 1.846749
OMR 0.401533
PAB 1.039337
PEN 3.870109
PGK 4.214555
PHP 61.430102
PKR 289.288974
PLN 4.258903
PYG 8104.066586
QAR 3.788799
RON 4.979106
RSD 117.045935
RUB 107.244587
RWF 1448.790677
SAR 3.91966
SBD 8.748133
SCR 14.551486
SDG 627.662417
SEK 11.505215
SGD 1.414024
SHP 0.826423
SLE 23.787187
SLL 21881.410825
SOS 593.978174
SRD 36.65877
STD 21598.081035
SVC 9.094197
SYP 2621.793487
SZL 19.129518
THB 35.780887
TJS 11.369896
TMT 3.662641
TND 3.311736
TOP 2.44395
TRY 36.710281
TTD 7.053928
TWD 34.050018
TZS 2468.324859
UAH 43.588037
UGX 3812.501768
USD 1.043487
UYU 46.356101
UZS 13399.76356
VES 53.713772
VND 26561.970104
VUV 123.884906
WST 2.882934
XAF 656.043343
XAG 0.035154
XAU 0.000398
XCD 2.820076
XDR 0.792804
XOF 656.043343
XPF 119.331742
YER 261.263155
ZAR 19.096059
ZMK 9392.640903
ZMW 28.762786
ZWL 336.002496
  • CMSD

    0.0000

    23.56

    0%

  • SCS

    -0.5800

    11.74

    -4.94%

  • NGG

    0.8200

    58.5

    +1.4%

  • RELX

    -0.3100

    45.47

    -0.68%

  • AZN

    0.9100

    65.35

    +1.39%

  • CMSC

    0.0200

    23.86

    +0.08%

  • GSK

    0.1700

    33.6

    +0.51%

  • BTI

    0.1131

    36.24

    +0.31%

  • RIO

    -0.0900

    58.64

    -0.15%

  • RBGPF

    59.9600

    59.96

    +100%

  • BCE

    0.0500

    23.16

    +0.22%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    8.39

    +0.12%

  • BCC

    -0.2600

    122.75

    -0.21%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    7.27

    -0.14%

  • BP

    0.1900

    28.6

    +0.66%

  • JRI

    0.1100

    12.06

    +0.91%

Activist tells Saudi-hosted UN forum of 'silencing' of dissent
Activist tells Saudi-hosted UN forum of 'silencing' of dissent / Photo: Haitham EL-TABEI - AFP

Activist tells Saudi-hosted UN forum of 'silencing' of dissent

A Saudi human rights activist appeared via a video link Wednesday at a UN forum in the kingdom to denounce the "silencing" of dissent under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Text size:

Lina al-Hathloul's appearance at the Internet Governance Forum was a rare instance of an outspoken critic of Prince Mohammed, the de facto ruler, addressing a gathering on Saudi soil.

Human Rights Watch researcher Joey Shea described the panel and Hathloul's speech as "historic".

The session opened with a moment of silence for government critics "arbitrarily detained" in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East.

An empty chair beside the moderator bore a nametag with Hathloul's name.

"For today, an empty chair will have to represent my voice -- a stark symbol of the silencing faced by so many of us," said Hathloul, head of communications for the London-based ALQST human rights organisation which tracks Saudi Arabia's prolific use of the death penalty and prosecutions related to online speech.

In Saudi Arabia "no one is safe online, and even what one considers mild criticism can become a crime," said Hathloul.

Her sister, Loujain al-Hathloul, is an activist who campaigned for women to be able to drive and for an end to Saudi Arabia's notorious guardianship system, which requires women to get permission from male relatives for many decisions.

Authorities arrested Loujain al-Hathloul in the United Arab Emirates in March 2018 and forced her back to Saudi Arabia, where she spent more than two years behind bars.

Loujain al-Hathloul was released on probation in February 2021 but has been banned from leaving the Gulf kingdom for five years.

Lina al-Hathloul referred to the travel ban in her comments on Wednesday as an explanation for why she appeared remotely.

"I had hoped to join you directly, but due to safety concerns and the illegal travel bans imposed on my family since 2018, that remains impossible for now," she said.

Saudi Arabia is trying to soften its forbidding image through social reforms including allowing women to drive and reintroducing cinemas.

But Human Rights Watch said last week that "dozens of people remain imprisoned for peaceful online speech" in Saudi Arabia, many charged under a counterterrorism law adopted in 2017.

- 'Surveillance apparatus' -

The Saudi monarchy does not tolerate political opposition and restricts the activities of local and foreign human rights groups.

However as part of Prince Mohammed's bid to raise the kingdom's global profile, Riyadh has now hosted two large-scale UN gatherings in quick succession that saw civil society involvement.

Earlier this month negotiators gathered for a meeting of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, which brings together 196 countries and the European Union.

Like this week's Internet Governance Forum, the UNCCD drew the participation of activists who might not otherwise have travelled to Saudi Arabia.

The Human Rights Watch delegation in Riyadh this week is the first sent by the New York-based organisation in nearly a decade.

Amnesty International, another frequent government critic, sent its first ever delegation to Saudi Arabia for the event and even had a booth at the venue branded with its iconic candle logo.

But Lina al-Hathloul stressed in her speech that activists cannot operate freely in the kingdom.

"Over the past few years, our monitoring and research have revealed the disturbing extent of Saudi Arabia's surveillance apparatus, both online and offline," she said.

"Civil society can no longer speak independently, and those who dare to express what the authorities consider dissent are often silenced through imprisonment or worse."

- Cybercrime -

Wednesday's panel focused on a UN treaty targeting cybercrime, the body's first such text, which member states approved in August despite fierce opposition from human rights activists who have warned of potential surveillance dangers.

The treaty's detractors -- an unusual alliance of human rights activists and big tech companies -- say it is far too broad in scope, claiming it could amount to a global "surveillance" treaty and be used for repression.

Lina al-Hathloul highlighted those arguments in her speech, saying Saudi Arabia was "a cautionary tale" for how the treaty could fuel suppression of dissent.

Saudi authorities say the prosecutions decried by human rights groups concern crimes related to terrorism and attempts to disrupt public order.

(S.G.Stein--BBZ)