Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, CDHR, Washington DC

Sept. 18, 2020 Saudi Affairs--CDHR’s Analysis and Commentaries

The Culprits in Khashoggi’s Murder Escape Justice

CDHR Commentary: As expected, the three men implicated in orchestrating, giving the order and supervising the implementation of Jamal Khashoggi’s gruesome murder have escaped punishment because the closed trial was structured not to try them, let alone convict them. In other words, the Saudi justice system is designed to exempt powerful rulers and their operatives from the rule of Saudi law. This occurred despite global consensus that Crown Princ e Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and two of his top confidants, Saud Al-Qahtani and General Ahmed Al-Asiri, were directly linked to Khashoggi’s assassination. The farcical court sentenced the men who carried out their masters’ orders, while absolving the real culprits of the heinous crime. Read more: www.cdhr.info

Saudi Oligarchs Are Set to Host G20 Heads of State

CDHR Commentary: Despite the fact that the Saudi monarchy is a well-known violator of basic human rights, a top exporter and financier of extremist dogma  and a major contributor to air pollution, the G20 heads of state and other spectators are expected to travel to the Saudi kingdom in November 2020 to attend the elitist group’s annual meeting. If the scheduled gathering commences as planned, it could not have come at a more inappropriate and unnerving time. Traveling to a country ruled by one of the world’s last totalitarian oligarchs in order to attend a gathering of detached elitists meeting in the midst of a deadly global pandemic and melting economies is incomprehensible. The hosts are faced with an economic fiasco, painful austerity, wide-spread virus infections, destabilizing political turmoil and a multitude of regional bankrupting and catastrophic conflicts. Likewise, the rest of the G20 heads of state are facing similar challenging issues. Additionally, they are engaged in unprecedented trade, strategic and political hostilities that could end the established bonding world order.  Read more: www.cdhr.info

Sacking a Few Corrupt Princes and Other Looters Won’t Do It

CDHR Commentary: Pillaging public revenues has been a way of life among Saudi royals and their cronies since the establishment of their kingdom almost a century ago. Without accountability, transparency and public scrutiny, arresting a few corrupt princes is designed to generate foreign investments in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s $500 billion mega dream city, NOEM and other projects. Corruption is a disease that thrives under absolute despots where accountability, transparency and public scrutiny in countries like Saudi Arabia are considered besmirched Christian and Jewish inventions and where the ruling oligarchs treat the country and its population, especially women, as their private property. Read more: www.cdhr.info 

Saudis Vilify Uncompromising Female Journalists

CDHR Commentary: Three Lebanese female journalists, two of whom work for Al-Jazeera, “the undisputed voice of the free in an Arab world that remains in shackles,” and London-based Zahra Hankir are being vilified for their solidarity with pro-democracy and -social justice Saudis. These righteous and courageous anti-misogynistic and -discriminatory polices journalists are the subject of relentless sexual defamation and character assassination by Saudis an d Emiratis. Why? Aljazeera journalists Ghada Oueiss and Ola al-Fares are targeted because of their expose of Saudi maltreatment of dissidents, especially women, and by addressing Khashoggi’s assassination unabashedly. Because of her solidarity with incarcerated and tortured Saudi women, Zahra Hankir declined invitations to participate in the G20 conference, scheduled for November 2020 in the Saudi capital. Read more: www.cdhr.info

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