...For world leaders dealing with Saudi Arabia in 20224, boosting trade and security ties seems to have outweighed human rights considerations at almost every step. At the United Nations, however, and among some legislators and business leaders around the world, there as some noteworthy scrutiny of the Kingdom’s appaling rights record…

The legal framework in Saudi Arabia on the one hand lacks core legislation, which creates a legal vacuum, and on the other comprises vaguely formulated and restrictive laws… This not only allows for the prosecution of peaceful activists but also creates legal uncertainty and therefore has a chilling effect on all citizens and residents. Saudi Arabia has ratified a number of international conventions on aspects of human rights but largely fails to implement them…

The Saudi authorities’ relentless suppression of free speech saw no diminution during 2024…

A new law for domestic workers came into effect on 21 September 2024 offering several new protections for this vulnerable group, if implemented, but lacking enforcement mechanisms. Revised regulations on domestic workers who abscond were due to take effect in July 2024, though it is unclear whether they have yet been implemented. Despite these and other limited reforms in recent years, Saudi Arabia’s notorious kafala (sponsorship) system remains substantially intact…

[The report also mentions NSO Group in relation to a legal case being pursued in the British courts due to the alleged use of Pegasus spyware to launch “cyberattacks against … activists abroad”; NEOM and Jeddah Central in relation to human rights abuses linked to both projects (Human Rights Watch has previously asked the companies to respond); FIFA in relation to the upcoming 2034 Football World Cup; Seera Group in relation to the abuse of an Indian migrant worker (Middle East Eye has previously asked the company to respond to the allegations); and China Comservice in relation to the death of a Pakistani civil engineer, which the Resource Centre previously reached out to in December 2024.]