Together with leading human rights organisations, ISHR stands in solidarity with all victims of Saudi authorities’ deepening repression of political dissidents and human rights defenders.
We, the undersigned human rights organisations, stand in solidarity with all victims of Saudi authorities’ deepening repression of political dissidents and human rights defenders.
In recent years, Saudi authorities’ ongoing crackdown on dissenting voices has only increased in scope and scale. Human rights activists, writers, academics, and intellectual reformers in Saudi Arabia are increasingly targeted, subjected to harassment, smear campaigns, surveillance, arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearances.
Saudi authorities should immediately end any abusive practices. Accountability efforts are also critical to achieving justice for victims.
In December 2021, a new complaint on Saudi Arabia’s crimes against humanity was submitted before Belgium’s federal prosecutor, under the principle of universal jurisdiction. While in June 2022 the Belgian federal prosecutor requested that the Brussels court of appeal dismiss the case, the court will make the final decision on whether to order the opening of an investigation following a hearing on 24 January 2023.
We support victims of repression in Saudi Arabia in their efforts to pursue different accountability avenues.
At a time of financial strife and ongoing reform for the organisation, States have adopted a 2026 budget cutting 117 jobs at the UN’s Human Rights Office. The final budget endorses proposed cuts that disproportionately target human rights, imperilling the UN’s ability to investigate grave abuses, and advance human rights globally.
ISHR and 37 human rights organisations in Latin America issued a joint statement condemning the United States military attack against Venezuela and expressing concern about the serious human rights situation in the country. Any solution to the crisis facing the country must be democratic, peaceful and negotiated, centred on respect for human rights, and prioritising the participation and decision-making power of Venezuelan society over its future.
In a landmark ruling against Burundi, the UN Committee against Torture has set a precedent on the protection of lawyers and human rights defenders engaging with UN mechanisms, affirming that reprisals for cooperating with the UN violate the Convention Against Torture.
