Saudi Arabia 

• is one of the most repressive countries on the planet, and among the world’s worst violators of basic human rights, in particular the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Expressing any opposition to the government is considered a crime

• is one of the biggest jailers of journalists in the world. As of 2021, dozens of journalists are currently detained in Saudi Arabia

• is the third biggest executioner (After China and Iran) in the world. In 2019, the highest number of executions in Saudi Arabia was recorded to date. This includes members of the LGBTQ+ community, who are brutally executed in the Kingdom for the “crime” of identifying as they do 

• treats women as second-class citizens and continues to jail and torture women who campaigned for women’s rights, such as the right to drive – even after the Kingdom lifted its ban on women driving in 2019 

• has targeted and hacked the phones of dozens of journalists and human rights activists using spyware technology.