ALQST is honoured to receive the 2020 William D. Zabel Human Rights Award for its work defending human rights in Saudi Arabia. The prestigious award from Human Rights First will be presented at a virtual event on 21 October 2020.
ALQST for Human Rights is an independent not-for-profit organisation working for a Saudi Arabia where the human rights of all are respected. Through its extensive network of sources within the country, ALQST monitors and documents human rights violations on the ground and brings these to the attention of the international community through advocacy, campaigns and events.
Since its founding in 2014, ALQST has closely documented repression in Saudi Arabia that has intensified in recent years under the rule of King Salman and his son Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. This includes waves of arbitrary arrests, the brutal torture of activists, and a surge in executions, as well as the devastating war in Yemen. ALQST’s work has highlighted in particular the sustained crackdown against human rights activists and advocates for reform, whom the Saudi authorities have long attempted to silence.
“By shining a light on ALQST in this way, Human Rights First is shining a light on the besieged human rights movement in Saudi Arabia,” said ALQST founder Yahya Assiri. “This award sends a message that all the heroes who have courageously defended human rights in the country, for which they have often paid the highest price, have not been forgotten. We take this occasion to reiterate our call for their immediate and unconditional release.”
ALQST’s work faces numerous challenges, with sources increasingly afraid to contact the organisation due to fear of reprisals from the authorities. ALQST’s website is banned in Saudi Arabia, and staff members including founder Yahya Assiri have faced threats and government-backed cyber hacking. Yet in the absence of civil society organisations inside Saudi Arabia, ALQST continues to play a crucial role by providing a bridge between Saudi society and the outside world, helping to spread information and build pressure on the Saudi authorities to recognise and respect human rights. Such pressure has led to some concessions, but not yet the systemic reform the country needs.
In the run-up to this year’s G20 summit in November, due to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, ALQST has been at the forefront of calls for governments and businesses not to turn a blind eye to the Saudi authorities’ egregious rights violations.
“Now is a crucial time for the international community to increase pressure on the Saudi authorities and place human rights at the centre of all discussions,” said Julia Legner, ALQST’s Head of Advocacy. “This means demanding the release of prisoners of conscience, meaningful steps towards accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and an end to the war in Yemen.”
You can read Human Rights First's press release here.
