Saudi Arabia’s Strategy Vis-à-vis Human Rights Challenges (2015-2019)

Human rights pressures on Saudi Arabia have been caused by two waves of protests against Saudi actions at national and international levels since the coming to power of Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The first wave began with the Saudi coalition’s attacks on Yemen on March 25, 2015, and the second wave, albeit with greater intensity, began with the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018. In this shocking wave, the escalation of human rights violations in Yemen and the crackdown on Saudi activists demanding “political reforms” resulted in unprecedented human rights pressures on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, instead of adopting structural and fundamental reforms, the Saudi government has tried to improve its image by resorting to certain human rights tools and instruments. The findings of this study indicate that the human rights tools and instruments used by Saudis during these years are multifaceted and include cultural-ideological dimensions, sending (economic) aids for some people in war-torn and poor countries, using the frameworks of international law, and the misuse of media and propaganda gears. After examining the most important developments in Saudi Arabia’s human rights approach, from the beginning of the Yemeni war until the end of 2019, this study proposes to make a review of the most important tools and measures resorted to by the Saudi authorities in the area of human rights.