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Press Release

One year after Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail, Amnesty International has joined with his wife to renew appeals for his immediate and unconditional release.

May 7, 2015

Press Release

On the eve of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Saudi Arabia, members of Congress have sent a bipartisan letter to Saudi Arabia’s new ruler, King Salman urging him to free all prisoners of conscience—including blogger Raif Badawi and attorney Waleed Abu al-Khair—and to allow women, religious minorities and peaceful political reformers to freely express themselves and fully participate in public life in Saudi Arabia. The letter garnered 67 congressional signers and endorsements from 17 women’s, human rights, religious freedom, and advocacy organizations, including Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch.

March 4, 2015

Report

This has been a devastating year for those seeking to stand up for human rights and for those caught up in the suffering of war zones. Governments pay lip service to the importance of protecting civilians. And yet the world's politicians have miserably failed to protect those in greatest need. Amnesty International believes that this can and must finally change.

February 25, 2015

Press Release

A group of NGOs sent a letter to Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia expressing concern over the ongoing detention and ill-treatment of human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair and blogger Raif Badawi. The undersigned urged Prince Mohammed bin Naif to immediately release al-Khair and Badawi from prison and to dismiss all charges against them.

February 3, 2015

Press Release

Ahead of President Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia tomorrow to pay his respects following the death of King Abdullah, Amnesty International USA is urging the president to advocate for the release of Raif Badawi as well as other Prisoners of Conscience.

January 26, 2015

Press Release

Amnesty International USA is urging members of Congress and the White House to press for human rights reform in Saudi Arabia following the death of King Abdullah.

January 23, 2015

Press Release

In response to reports that President Barack Obama did not raise the issue of Saudi Arabia's human rights record when he met with officials in the Gulf Kingdom today, Sunjeev Bery, Advocacy Director for Middle East and North Africa, Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement.

March 28, 2014

Press Release

A grassroots campaign will call for an end to the driving ban for women in Saudi Arabia on Saturday March 29.

March 26, 2014

Press Release

Ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia on Friday, Amnesty International is calling on President Obama to take a stand for human rights by having a woman Secret Service driver during his visit and seeking a meeting with Saudi Arabian women activists who are defying the ban against women driving.

March 25, 2014

Press Release

The Saudi Arabian authorities must respect the right of women to drive this Saturday in defiance of a ban on women driving in the Kingdom.

October 24, 2013

Press Release

The court appeal by two members of a prominent Saudi Arabian human rights organization is a bid for justice amid a broader crackdown on activism in the Gulf kingdom, said Amnesty International.

May 28, 2013

Report

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Head of state and government King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz The authorities severely restricted freedoms of expression, association and assembly and clamped down on dissent. Government critics and political activists were detained without trial or sentenced after grossly unfair trials. Women were discriminated against in law and practice and inadequately protected against domestic and other violence. Migrant workers were exploited and abused. Sentences of flogging were imposed and carried out. Hundreds of people were on death row at the end of the year; at least 79 people were executed. Background In January, the head of the…

May 23, 2013