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

June 10, 2020

CDHR”s Analysis And Commentaries

Are Darker Days Ahead For Saudis Under Salman’s and Sons’ Rule?  

CDHR Commentary:  As this report demonstrates, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) hunt for his critics and affiliates of former rival royals continues and will likely intensify in the years ahead. Faced with predicted economic hardships, abandonment by powerful western allies and unpopularity within his vast and ruthless family, MBS is likely to rely on the sword to survive politically and personally. One would think that MBS has learned that the fallout of egregious behaviour like the grisly murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in which he was implicated, can cause irreparable damage, not on ly to him but to the country and its oppressed population. MBS inherited a brutal system for which he was chosen (by his father King Salman) to modernize and use to ensure the population’s loyalty through fear of authority, a tradition his oligarchical family has effectively employed for centuries.  Click on www.cdhr.info for full analysis

For the Saudi People, Living with Viruses is “Addy” (Normal)  

CDHR Commentary: For most Saudis, curfews, economic hardships and uncontestable political oppression are a way of life since (and centuries before) the establishment of the “illegitimate” Saudi state in1932. As this write-up reveals, in response to the coronavirus’ crippling impact on the Saudi regime’s oil-based income, the Saudi rulers tripled taxes on and cut social benefits for their population, most of whom are already financially distraught. This is in addition to being besieged by nightmares of catching the disease without enough advanced medical facilities and trained personnel capable of dealing with an onslaught of virus cases. As customarily practiced in Saudi Arabia, austerity measures are not applied to the thousands of state-supported extravagantly-spending royals. The severe austerity measures were publicly decreed after the king and son, Crown Prince Mohammed, fled the capital, Prince Mohammed to his dream palace in his imaginary city, NEOM, and King Salman to shield himself in one of his castles on a lush and fortified island in the Red Sea.  Click on www.cdhr.info for full analysis

Coronavirus, Fleeing Royals and Intensified Repression

CDHR Analysis: After cutting the country off from the rest of the world and decreeing crippling ban on travelling between cities and regions in the vast desert kingdom, King Salman and his heir son, Crown Prince Mohammed, flee their capital, Riyadh, to shield themselves from coronavirus. King Salman sheltered himself in a lush island in the Red Sea and Prince Mohammed summoned up his compliant ministers and other loyalists and took off for NEOM, a futuristic (fantasy) city estimated to cost $500 billion to build in the middle of nowhere. Not surprisingly, the first contracts issued were to build beach sprawling mansions for King Salman, Prince Mohammed and their immediate relatives. Click on www.cdhr.info for full analysis

The Passing of a Giant Advocate of Freedom and the Rule of Law

CDHR Commentary: Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamid, rest in peace. “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” You left a trail of flickering and enduring examples: selflessness, moral courage and unflinching commitment to free Saudi Arabia from fear, ostracism, intimidation, corruption and unrelenting oppression.  

Dr. Al-Hamid was born and raised in the Al-Qasim region (central Arabia,) the birthplace of the Saudi and Wahhabi clans and their doctrine, Wahhabism, infamous for its ferocious recriminations: arbitrary arrest and lengthy incarcerations without charges, flogging and beheadings as dictated by Shariah law, which is interpreted by government’s misogynist clerics who operate the Saudi judicial system.  Dr. Al-Hamid was a professor, a writer, a poet and a fearless advocate of inclusive political reforms, human rights, civil society and rule of non-sectarian laws.  Click on www.cdhr.info for full analysis

Saudi Princess Pleads for Mercy

CDHR Commentary: The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, CDHR, learned about Princess Basmah’s and her offspring’s interrogation more than a year ago, but refrained from highlighting her perilous situation to avoid providing her ruthless handlers with ammunition to justify their fabricated accusations directed at visionary social justice promoters. Like other men and women advocates of peaceful reforms, Basmah has not been charged with any crime because she has not committed any. On the contrary, she has always emphasised her unequivocal commitment to the survival and well-being of the Saudi royal family. Click on www.cdhr.info for full analysis

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