Saudi Arabia is embroiled in human rights controversy after launching a bid to join UNHRC. The announcement was made as the kingdom comes under heightened international criticism for setting a life-high pace of executions in 2024. With the eyes of the global media upon it, scrutiny has been turned on to the kingdom’s human rights record, with some asking if it is appropriate for such a country to be involved in forming international human rightsstandards.
The controversy is a reminder of the broader debate over whether nations with spotty human rights records should be awarded places of influence in international bodies, such as the UNHRC.
Human rights obfuscations in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has been condemned for its human rights record for years. The kingdom’s legal system, based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law (Sharia,) implements punishments that include lashings and floggings for some crimes. This has drawn widespread condemnation the world over with public beheadings, amputations, and floggings attracting sharp criticisms from international human rights organizations.
The year 2024: A banner year for executions.
The escalation in capital punishment reached new heights in 2024 when Saudi Arabia allegedly executed more than 150 people in the first half of the year — a record since it cut off heads. Most were for drug-related offenses, terrorism charges, or violent crimes, but critics say some of the people executed had unfair trials and the right to proper legal representation. Several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have spoken out strongly in criticism of the fast-growing rate of executions.
The surge in executions comes despite the kingdom’s efforts to portray a facade of modernisation and reform in recent years, under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, through initiatives such as Vision 2030. This tension between modernization and austere punishment has become the subject of global fascination, especially as the kingdom tries to find its place in the world.
Saudi Bid For UNHRC Seat
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which aims to advance and protect human rights across the globe is being contested by Saudi Arabia — a nation known for its atrocious human rights abode. This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has sought a place on the council, having been elected in 2013 to a two-year term — although its presence was controversial as it faced criticism for its human rights and other conduct at home and abroad.
Based in Geneva, the UNHRC is composed of 47 member states that are elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term. The major function of the council is to enhance the protection of human rights around the globe, identify serious cases, and put forward recommendations.
A highlight reel of Saudi officials saying the quiet part out loud in ways that serve a higher cause: The kingdom’s long-running pursuit of greater influence in international diplomacy. The kingdom says its serving in the UNHRC would foster “dialogue among civilizations, refute external attempts to impose alien concepts on us and allow us to enlighten others about how Islam has specific institutions for human rights protection.” Saudi officials have stressed cultural relativism as a way to counteract the human rights debate, saying that since every country has different laws and customs, this individualistic character of “international” is at odds with it.
The international condemnation and world response
The Debate over Executions
Still, the appointment of Saudi Arabia for a UNHRC seat has sparked grave misgivings from international human rights groups. Given the number of its executions and its record of stifling political dissent, women’s rights, and other freedoms, many have said they believe a country with such a human rights ranking should not be shaping global human rights policies.
The UNHRC has confronted similar controversies before; countries like China, Russia, and Venezuela have also won seats despite long-standing human rights concerns. Critics of the council say that permitting states with questionable human rights records to sit amongst human rights-promoting countries undermines the UNHRC’s credibility and mission.
Western Governments’ Position
Several Western governments have also criticized Saudi Arabia’s bid. Although the kingdom has strong economic and strategic links with countries such as the United States and Britain, they are being tested more than ever by concerns about human rights. Syria not only makes it virtually impossible to reasonably criticize the human rights abuses associated with Saudi’s UNHRC candidature but also puts the threat of Saudi executioners in stark perspective.
There are growing suggestions in the U.S. and European Union that stronger forms of diplomacy be used to force Saudi Arabia into account its human rights record. Several lawmakers have proposed that Saudi Arabia be forced to allow international monitors to oversee its human rights improvements, using membership in global organizations as a lever.
Reform in Saudi Arabia: Progress or PR?
Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s much-publicized plan to save Saudi Arabia by transforming the kingdom into a modern nation-state with a diversified economy. In these reforms, the kingdom has made substantial changes such as permitting women to drive, broadening Saudi women’s rights in the labor force, and promoting cultural events once banned.
However, critics contend those changes are window-dressing and have failed to bring more freedom for Saudis. The clampdown on political dissent also continues, with many activists, journalists, and human rights defenders imprisoned or otherwise harshly restricted. The detention of women’s rights advocate Loujain al-Hathloul in a high-profile case is a reminder that the validity of the kingdom’s reform agenda remains in doubt.
The Worldwide Ramifications of Saudi’s UNHRC Campaign
Russia’s victory at the UNHRC spares Saudi Arabia from a big serving of (mm) Trump pie. Cultural relativism and how the pitfalls of Western human rights language need to have their interpretation conditioned by Saudi eyes could also be used as a counterfactual; however, the paradox of how this domestic reality clashes with what is preached by the kingdom externally might overshadow this argument.
With a vote approaching on membership in the UNHRC, it is unclear whether Saudi Arabia will win out against skepticism. But the global conversation will only shift so far, and Saudi Arabia — notorious human rights abuser and unlikely reformer — will undoubtedly be at its heart.
