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

September 2022

CDHR’s Analysis: MBS & Techniques of Intimidation    

MBS: Rewriting History & Intensifying Repression

CDHR Analysis: Emboldened by the economic fallout of the pandemic, closer ties with Putin and western democracies’ acquiescence in the face of MBS’s brutal domestic and regional policies, the Salmans’ (King and four sons) courts are handing down vindictive prison sentences against women’s rights advocates for using social media, the only tool available to Saudis to highlight the regime’s malevolence. While increasing such domestic repression, MBS is bolstering his father’s lifelong objective, reinforcing his belief and practice that Saudi Arabia has been and will always be owned and controlled by the Al-Saud’s absolute oligarchy. A case in point and as a reminder is the revival of Diriyah.

As this and a wily marketing spin by one of the Saudi oligarchy’s staunch propagandists demonstrate, King Salman and son MBS are spending $50 billion to restore Diriyah, the 1744 birthplace of the tyrannical Saudi/Wahhabi  subjugating movement. According to Diriyah’s project overseer, Jerry Inzerillo, who boasted about spending ‘abundant personal time’ with Prince Mohammed following Khashoggi’s murder, developing Diriyah will make it the envy of the world’s tourist destinations. Continue reading: www.cdhr.info

MBS: Masquerading Perpetual Despotism in Fantasy Projects

CDHR Analysis: The cost to the Saudi people of King Salman’s and sons’, particularly Crown Prince Mohammed’s (MBS,) seven year rule can best be described as 7 years of unprecedented political repression and severe economic hardships. Contrary to many prominent Western and Saudi government controlled media, as well as an assemblage of powerful lobbyists’ superfluous exaltations of MBS’s so cial initiatives and fantasy (“transformational”) economic projects, the politically disenfranchised population is worse off today than they were before the Salmans inherited the throne in January 2015. Granted, removing the system’s humiliating social aberrations, such as the ban on women’s right to drive, is a plus, but replacing them with unprecedented political suppression and economic punishments can hardly be considered a celebrative historical event, as has been glorified by those who don’t have to pay the political and economic price the Saudi people are commanded to shoulder now and for the foreseeable future.

MBS And Biden’s Conundrum

CDHR Commentary: The minute the White House hinted that President Biden will travel to the Middle East, specifically to Saudi Arabia, a concoction (pros and cons) of domestic and global media commentaries, analyses, unsolicited advice, and recommendations began to counsel President Biden what to do or not when he meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, MBS. Except for genuine human rights and democracy advocates, most of those advocating that President Biden embrace MBS are traditional beneficiaries of Saudi hand-outs, recipient institutions of Saudi largess, and a multitude of businesses and lobbyist entities, like this (just to name a few.) The contradictory discourse about President Biden’s pending visit to Saudi Arabia is predictable. Those who patronizingly urge him to retract his campaign promise to recalibrate the mercurial US/Saudi transactional relationship (access to cheap oil in exchange for security) and to absolve the de facto Saudi ruler MBS of his ruthless misdeeds are overlooking developments of major consequence.

MBS: “Four Weapons of Totalitarianism” in Action

CDHR Commentary: Soon after President Biden’s more than embarrassing visit to Saudi Arabia in July 2022 and a chastening lecture by MBS about America’s human rights double standard, the Saudi courts sentenced a Leeds University scientist and Ph. D. candidate, Salma al-Shehab to a total of 68 years, 34 imprisonment and 34 travel ban. She is 34 years old. Following Biden’s visit, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) embarked on a business trip to Greece and France where he signed lucrative energy deals.

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