Monitoring & Documentation

Saudi Arabia’s sentencing to death of 54-year-old retired teacher Mohammed al-Ghamdi solely for peaceful social media activity marks an extraordinary new escalation in the relentless repression of free speech.
2023-09-15

U.S. citizen Carly Morris has returned to the United States after a four-year ordeal in Saudi Arabia but her nine-year-old daughter has had to remain there.
2023-08-31

The internationally outlawed practice of enforced disappearance remains systematic and widespread in Saudi Arabia, and is extensively applied by the Saudi authorities to prisoners of conscience.
2023-08-30

The indictment of Saudi sisters Manahel and Fouz al-Otaibi over their choice of clothing and support for women’s rights stands in stark contrast to the authorities’ talk of reform and empowerment for women.
2023-08-10
Advocacy & Campaigns

ALQST has recently made three submissions to the UN Human Rights Council, ahead of Saudi Arabia’s fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
2023-09-22

ALQST, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, MENA Rights Group and Right Livelihood delivered two joint oral statements at the UN Human Rights Council's 54th Session
2023-09-20

The US government should publicly call on UAE authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the Emirati human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor ahead of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai
2023-09-08

The UK FCDO's recently published 2022 Human Rights and Democracy Report highlights some of the key human rights issues in Saudi Arabia but does not fully reflect the gravity of the situation there.
2023-08-23
Reports

"The Dark Side of Neom" details the vicious campaign against members of the Huwaitat tribe who objected to their forcible eviction in 2020 for construction of a futuristic megacity, Neom.
2023-02-16

ALQST’s latest annual report documents the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia in 2022.
2023-02-13

ALQST presents this position paper on the UK's relations with Saudi Arabia and the potential to use its close ties with Riyadh much more robustly to prevent abuses and promote respect for human rights.
2022-12-07

ALQST’s latest annual report documents the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia in 2021.
2022-02-07
ALQST In The Media

The Guardian
Sportswashing
2023-09-06
‘Fans have power’ –Newcastle faithful urged to speak up against Saudi regime
Lina al-Hathloul told an audience of around two dozen that challenging the Saudi regime over human rights abuses “can bring change” and it is possible...

Deutsche Welle (DW)
Neom
2023-06-18
Saudi Arabia's Neom: A prestigious project with a dark side
This view is echoed by Lina al-Hathloul, director of communication of the London-based Saudi human rights watchdog ALQST. "Our main concern is that Ne...

AP News
Women's Rights
2023-06-01
Saudi fitness instructor Manahel al-Otaibi latest targeted in crackdown on dissent in kingdom
“They say they welcome women and that women can wear whatever — but at the end what is happening is that it’s only for Westerners,” said Lina Alhathlo...

The Guardian
Women's rights
2023-05-30
Saudi Arabian woman arrested over Twitter and Snapchat posts promoting reform
Lina al-Hathloul, a Saudi activist who lives outside the kingdom and is head of monitoring and advocacy for ALQST, a human rights group, said: “Al-Ota...

CBS
Sportswashing
2023-04-11
As repression grows in Saudi Arabia, so too does investment in sports
"My message is that, why would you go to Saudi Arabia and stay silent on what is going on on the ground? Why, why won't you speak on behalf of the pri...

Middle East Eye
Neom
2023-02-21
Neom: International companies ignore questions over human rights risks
International companies working on Saudi Arabia's $500bn Neom megacity, which has forcibly displaced members of the Howeitat tribe, have ignored reque...

Middle East Eye
Neom
2023-02-16
Neom: Saudi Arabia jails nearly 50 tribespeople for resisting displacement
New Alqst report details displacement and arrest of members of Howeitat tribe to make way for megacity. ... Human rights organisation, Alqst, publishe...

Deutsche Welle (DW)
Death penalty
2023-02-03
Saudi Arabia's executions thwart trust in reforms
This view was confirmed by Julia Legner, executive director at ALQST, a London-based human rights organization that focuses on defending and promoting...

The Cradle
Neom
2023-01-26
Three Saudi nationals face execution over refusal to displace NEOM residents
Human rights defender based in Saudi Arabia, ALQST, disclosed that the men belong to the Al-Huwaitat tribe – Shadli, Ibrahim, and Atallah Al-Hwaiti. A...

The Mirror
Sportswashing
2023-01-07
Cristiano Ronaldo told to "use his voice for good" by sister of Saudi Arabia torture victim
Lina, who works for ALQST for Human Rights, said: “After Khashoggi they think they can imprison anyone without accountability. They still have mass ex...

TV5Monde
Sportswashing
2023-01-06
Dakar 2023 : femme et pilote, au delà du symbole, à quand plus de droits pour les Saoudiennes ?
" Si les sportifs participent et font partie de la machine de relations publiques du gouvernement saoudien, cela ne sert vraiment à rien, au contraire...

The Guardian
UK-Saudi ties
2022-12-11
UK to downgrade commitment to human rights for close diplomatic ties
Yet Saudi Arabia had by the end of November executed 148 people this year, double the number for 2021. The Saudi human rights group ALQST last week de...