In a reply to an Urgent Appeal from seven UN human rights experts, the Saudi government rejects their “profound concern” over death sentences and lengthy prison terms passed on members of the Huwaitat tribe who peacefully opposed eviction to make way for the state-backed Neom megacity project. It continues to insist, still without evidence, that the men were convicted of acts of terrorism, following due process, and strenuously denies all allegations of Neom-related abuses put to it by the UN special mandate holders.
The Urgent Appeal followed a submission by ALQST and MENA Rights Group based on first-hand testimonies from victims and witnesses, as detailed in the report The Dark Side of Neom. The joint submission highlighted the cases of tribe members who have been prosecuted for their peaceful opposition to the mass evictions, including three sentenced to death (Shadli Ahmed Mahmoud, Ibrahim Saleh Ahmed, and Ataullah Musa Muhammad al-Huwaiti) and three sentenced to prison terms of between 27 and 50 years (Abdel Nasser Ahmad Mahmoud, Abdullah Dakhil Allah and Mahmoud al-Huwaiti). The UN experts expressed “profound concern” over the imminent risk of execution of the first three and the long sentences of the others, and drew attention to reports of their having been subjected to torture and ill-treatment in custody.
In their 27-page response to the UN experts, the Saudi authorities repeatedly insist that these individuals were convicted of “terrorist” offences, referring only to unspecified “evidence” against them. Examples of the spurious charges brought against Huwaitat members include "expressing sympathy and praise for a terrorist”, clearly referring to Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti, a vocal opponent of the evictions who was shot dead in his home in April 202 by Saudi Special Forces, and “creating a Twitter account to tear apart national cohesion”.
Saudi Arabia’s Counter-Terrorism Law, and much of its other legislation, fails to comply with the kingdom’s human rights obligations under various international agreements, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention against Torture. However, the Saudi authorities’ response to the UN experts cites repeatedly, and at length, provisions contained in domestic legislation that appear, on paper, to outlaw all the violations alleged by the experts’ informants and, they claim, “are consistent with the relevant international standards”. ALQST and other human rights organisations have, however, documented time after time how in practice the Saudi authorities fail to meet these standards and routinely commit gross abuses.
The authorities assert several times in their response to the UN experts that the kingdom’s own official human rights body, the Human Rights Commission (HRC), “is monitoring expropriations for public benefit” and “developments in the Neom project” and “has not observed any indication of a violation of rights in its field of competence”. However, the HRC has no credibility among the global human rights community because of its lack of independence from the state.
Another claim the authorities make in arguing that proper procedures and safeguards were in place is that “lawyers in the Kingdom enjoy autonomy and protection of the law”, with a reference to the regulations of the Saudi Bar Association (SBA). But research by ALQST (not yet published) has - found that the SBA is another body controlled by government ministers, and that lawyers come under pressure not to challenge wrongdoing by the authorities.
The Saudi authorities state that “the population so far affected by relocation” for Neom’s construction “amounts to 1,143 families, comprising a total of 6,360 individuals”. In fact the Huwaitat tribe has approximately 20,000 members, the majority of whom are thought to have been displaced. Neom has previously described the 26,500 km2 area earmarked for the project in northwest Saudi Arabia as “virgin” territory, in an attempt to create the impression that it is unpopulated. Interestingly, the authorities also note in their response that 1,352 “grievances” have been received “on a wide variety of matters from property owners and residents affected by relocation”, apparently averaging more than one complaint per family. Many have been resolved and others are still pending before the Board of Grievances, the authorities say.
In response to the experts’ request for information on how people threatened with forced evictions and displacement by the Neom project were “genuinely consulted”, the Saudi authorities describe how the project and its benefits to the people of the region were explained and people’s questions were answered, “after which they expressed support for the project”. ALQST’s documentation clearly shows, however, that local residents were displaced in the face of strong opposition from members of the Huwaitat. In January 2020 the tribe met with the head of the local land expropriation committee; open source videos show a large number of them strongly opposing the project, asserting that the land had been theirs for generations, and in some cases displaying the title deeds to the land. The meeting was followed by a petition signed by 174 members of the tribe, and trending hashtags in Saudi Arabia including #AlHuwaitatAgainstEvictions.
The UN experts wrote to both Neom Company and its owner, the Saudi Public Investment Fund controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, noting that they “are potentially involved in the project and subsequent alleged human rights abuses detailed in this letter” and seeking their response to the allegations. Neither is on record as having responded.
