In partnership with Saudi civil society, global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, is urging the Saudi Arabian government to draft an NGO law that will guarantee legal status and protection for civil society organisations (CSOs).
“The association law needs to be passed with great haste,” said Sadek Al-Ramadan from the Saudi-based Adala Centre for Human Rights, “because until there is a code to protect and guide our functions, we are placed in a legal limbo and cannot achieve our goals, fundraise, or organise our affairs legally. Human rights concepts and understanding cannot be rooted in our country without serious work by civil society who should be given legal protection.”
Currently, the Saudi Basic Law of Governance governs the operation of charities. A number of civil society groups including those engaged in the protection and promotion of human rights are unable to obtain legal status under the narrow definition of charity under the law. The Adala Centre for Human Rights had its appeal to register rejected in August by an administrative court. The Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA) stated that its decision to refuse the license was on the grounds that it is only permitted to license charities. As a result, MOSA stated that the Adala Centre’s remit was not covered by the definition of a charity.
The Adala Centre has documented the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia since March 2011. One of its founding members, Fadel Al-Manasef, has been in detention since October 2011 after he accompanied a friend to a police station. He has been held in incommunicado detention and is about to undergo a trial on charges that include starting an illegal organization. There is concern that he will be given a long custodial sentence similar to those handed down to other human rights defenders.
CIVICUS has documented a spate of restrictions on civil society activities since the beginning of 2013, including imprisonment of activists for harsh terms through flawed legal proceedings and imposition of travel bans on civil society leaders. Co-founders of the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights, Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamid and Dr. Mohammed Al Qahtani are currently profiled in CIVICUS’ Civil Society Behind Bars Campaign.
"As one of the most repressive regimes in the world, it is high time Saudi Arabia delivered a swift increase in fundamental freedoms to its people. The Saudi state should note how the result of blanket state repression is violently affecting its neighbours, and adopt widely accepted democratic norms and reforms," said Charlotte Allan, Policy and Advocacy Officer at CIVICUS.
CIVICUS urges the government of Saudi Arabia to guarantee an enabling environment for civil society by: (i) initiating consultations with civil society groups on the key elements of an NGO law and, (ii) reviewing sentences imposed on civil society activists.
