Policy: Should Saudi Arabia be a Model for Human Rights?

Weekly Policy Report

by Edwina Rogers

Join SPI On Letter Protesting Saudi Arabia’s Role With The United Nations Human Rights Council

┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬á ┬áPrince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

In a letter to Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights the SPI and other member┬áorganizations┬ácall on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to reconsider its appointment of Saudi Arabia to the Consultative Group for the 2016 session.

To serve on the UNHRC, the General Assembly is directed to take into account how the candidate-states have contributed to the promotion and protection of human rights-and the voluntary pledges of those states to commit to human rights in general. In this process,┬áit┬áis expected that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would inevitably hold a seat, yet it is thoroughly peculiar that a state with the KingdomÔÇÖs reputation of┬áaversion┬áto basic human rights would be appointed to a leadership position for even a single year on a board selecting Special Rapporteurs for investigating the most flagrant of human rights abuses.

The Consultative Group is tasked with reviewing and assigning applicants to serve as ÔÇ£Special RapporteursÔÇØ and other ÔÇ£Independent InvestigatorsÔÇØ┬áfor┬áhuman rights abuses around the planet.

Saudi Arabia will be chairing the panel alongside Lithuania, Greece, Chile and Algeria. Though no country is perfectly-vacant of human rights abuses of one kind or another, extending any level of immediate, discretionary authority to Saudi Arabia over those who would otherwise monitor or analyze human rights abuses would do a grave disservice to those most vulnerable to persecution and harm around the globe-those whom the UNHRC was designed to protect.

Saudi Arabia┬ádid not sign┬áthe Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Convent on Civil and Political Rights.┬áBeyond the high profile cases of condemning a teenager (Ali Mohammed al-Nimr) to death for participating in protesting for democracy, and sentencing a blogger (Raif Badawi) to degrading physical abuse and a lengthy prison sentence for expressing critique; the Kingdom sentenced Saudi rights lawyer Walid abu al-Khair to 15 years for ÔÇ£breaking allegianceÔÇØ to the monarchy by founding and directing the organization ÔÇ£Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia.ÔÇØ If the Kingdom cannot demonstrate the integrity to allow human rights monitoring from within, they certainly cannot be trusted to have a legitimate voice in protecting them from without.

Though by being a UN-member state, Saudi Arabia has eligibility for a seat on the UNHRC, with the critical nature of protecting those most vulnerable to persecution and other human rights abuses in line with the mission and commitments of the UNHRC; because of their long history of a flagrant disregard for basic human rights we are requesting reconsideration or probationary status applied to Saudi ArabiaÔÇÖs inclusion in the Consultative Group.

All organizations wishing to join us on this letter please let me know by┬áNovember 16, 2015┬ávia email at┬áedwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net.

See┬áthe full letter here.

House And Senate Attempting To Block The EPA From Implementing Its New Greenhouse Gas Rules

Representative Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), chairman of the Energy and Commerce CommitteeÔÇÖs energy subcommittee, introduced resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to block the Environmental Protection Agency from implementing its greenhouse gas rules for new and existing power plants on 26th October.┬á The subcommittee announced┬áon Friday┬áthat it would┬ámark up┬áHouse JointResolution 71┬áand┬áResolution 72┬áon Tuesday, 3rd November. Action by the full committee should quickly follow.┬á Votes on the House floor could then be held soon after the House returns┬áon┬á16th November┬áfrom its Veterans Day week-long recess.

On the Senate side, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) along with 47 co-sponsors introduced┬áSenate Joint Resolution 23┬áto block the new power plant rule on 27th October.┬á On the same day, Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and ┬á48 co-sponsors introduced┬áS. J. Res. 24 to block the rule for existing power plants.┬á CRA resolutions can go to the Senate floor without going through committee, so it is likely that the Senate will vote on the resolutions before the House does.┬á Under the CRA, resolutions of disapproval are not subject to cloture votes and thus only require a majority of those voting to pass.

Presidential Hopeful Ben Carson Does Not Support Basic Science

Although Ben Carson describes himself as “not a real religious person,”┬áthe presidential hopeful reaffirmed his belief in creationism┬áat a recent event in Nashville. Most (53 percent) Americans agree that evolution is the best explanation for the origins of human life on earth, but only┬á36 percent┬áof Republicans agree.

Secular Publisher Hacked To Death In Bangladesh – SPI’s Three US Asylum Letters

On Saturday, October 31 a publisher of secular books was hacked to death in the Bangladeshi capital. In a separate Asylum sign attack in Dhaka, police said two other writers and a publisher were stabbed and shot at a publishing house.

Fears of Islamist violence have been growing in Bangladesh after at least four atheist bloggers were murdered in the country this year. The attacks have been linked by police to domestic Islamist extremists, while┬áIslamic State┬áhas claimed responsibility for three other attacks.

The body of Faisal Abedin Deepan, of the┬áJagriti Prokashoni┬ápublishing house, was found inside his office. The publisher had filed a complaint with police after death threats on Facebook.

Earlier in the day, publisher Ahmed Rahim Tutul was attacked in the office of the Shudhdhoswar publishing house and seriously wounded. Two writers were also wounded in that attack. All three of the victims were hospitalized, and Tutul was in critical condition.

Both Deepan and Tutal had published books by Bangladeshi-American writer and blogger┬áAvijit Roy, who was┬áhacked to death in February. He was one of the four secular bloggers killed in Bangladesh this year.

A local Islamist group, Ansarullah Bangla Team, had claimed responsibility for the killings and recently threatened to kill more bloggers. At least 15 members of Ansar Bangla, including a British citizen, have been arrested since August, when blogger Niloy Chatterjee was killed by a group of attackers armed with machetes.

There are over 50 bloggers on a kill list who need immediate asylum. ┬áSPI and its member organizations sent three letters to US officials requesting that the US offer asylum to the secular Bangladeshi bloggers. ┬áEarlier we sent a letter to the UN with a similar request. ┬áYou can find links to the US letters below.