U.S. Report 'Appears to Justify' Saudi Human Rights Abuses, Says USCIRF
USCIRF expressed concern that the State Department Saudi Arabia Country Report on Human Rights Practices exonerates serious human rights abuses in the country.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) expressed concern that the State Department Saudi Arabia Country Report on Human Rights Practices exonerates serious human rights abuses in the country.
“Given that Saudi Arabia is a stated ally of the United States on the war on terror and that the Saudi government and others pay close attention to the State Department human rights report, there is a danger that the U.S. government will be perceived as crediting statements and cosmetic changes by the Saudi government as real human rights improvements,” wrote USCIRF in a statement released on Friday.
The Commission stated that it had not seen significant progress in Saudi Arabia and believes the United States must take action in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA).
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USCIRF pointed out that although the State Department Report highlighted the series of human rights problems that exist in Saudi Arabia, including that there is “no religious freedom,” there is also an “inordinate emphasis on optimistic statements by Saudi leaders.”
According to USCIRF, the statements have “yet to be followed by action” and in some cases the report seems to “justify serious abuse perpetrated by the Saudi government.”
An example given was taken from the section “Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, Degrading Treatment or Punishment.” There is a discussion, citing press reports, of government lashing of people convicted under Shari’a (Islamic law). USCIRF noted that the reported explanation stated, “… lashes were generally administered with a thin reed by a man who must hold a book under his arm to prevent him from lifting the arm too high. The strokes, delivered through a thin shirt, are not supposed to leave permanent damage, but to leave painful welts that bleed and bruise.”
USCIRF’s response to this segment was: “This gives the impression that this particular act of torture employed by the Saudi government is administered in a humane, and thus permissible, manner.”
The religious freedom commission also commented that an “inordinate” amount of attention was given to statements by Saudi officials that could be read as “improvements” while conditions for religious freedom have “not improved on the ground.”
The human rights report also stated that mosque preachers, to a lesser extent than in the past, “frequently used strong anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic language in their sermons...” and at times mosque speakers even pray for the death of Jews. The Commission responded to this statement by stating that the decrease in frequencies of these remarks should not be portrayed as significant improvements and that these “inciteful and inflammatory remarks” remain rampant.
The Commission does acknowledges that there has been increasing public discussion in Saudi Arabia on some human rights issues – although not necessarily freedom of religion or belief – and the report does make reference to extensive ongoing discrimination.
Saudi Arabia was designated as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) in September 2004 by the U.S. Department of State. One year later, the Secretary of State authorized a 180-day waiver of action on that designation “in order to allow additional time for the continuation of discussions leading to progress on important religious freedom issues.” The expiration for the 180-day waiver will occur later this month.
However, USCIRF said that it “has not yet seen genuine progress on religious freedom conditions in Saudi Arabia”
“In the time remaining under the 180-day waiver, the U.S. government should vigorously press for concrete commitments that would result in measurable, demonstrated improvements in respect for freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia,” wrote USCIRF.
“In the absence of such improvements, the U.S. government should not hesitate in taking strong action in accord with the IRFA, as has been recommended previously by the Commission.”
Saudi Arabia was listed as second for intensity of Christian persecution, below North Korea, in the 2006 Open Doors World Watch List.
