A variety of judicial measures, including death penalty sentences and flogging, are used against human rights defenders and activists in Saudi Arabia, according to a briefing paper published this month by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR). The briefing was published as Saudi Arabia undergoes Mid-term Reporting at the UN, in between its Universal Periodic Review, and is being reviewed by the UN Committee Against Torture this month.

The paper, “Silenced Voices: Judicial targeting of human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia,” outlines the methods used to persecute defenders, which include travel ban, arbitrary detention, defamation, legal intimidation and prosecution and lengthy sentencing, fines and flogging.

In particular, two laws are used systematically by State Prosecution to target activists; the Anti-Terror Law and the Anti-Cybercrimes Law and the report gives examples of how they are used.

Saudi Arabia is a member state of the United Nations and therefore committed to uphold and respect the basic tenets of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights without reservations. The UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review undertaken in 2013, and the efforts of independent human rights organizations and citizens, have brought to light the grave situations of human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia.

“Saudi authorities should be held accountable for the ill treatment of their citizens, particularly given the extreme and violent militant threats sweeping the region in the absence of reformist voices and freedom of expression,” concludes the report.

Download the full report in English HERE.