On Thursday, 8 October 2020, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and urging the European Union (EU) to take several measures, including downgrading its representation at the upcoming G20 Summit hosted by Riyadh.
The resolution, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority (413 votes to 49, with 233 abstentions), condemns the ill-treatment and dire conditions of thousands of Ethiopian migrants held arbitrarily in detention centres in Saudi Arabia since April 2020.
It also highlights the situation of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia more generally, as a significant segment of the population who are exploited under the abusive visa sponsorship (kafala) system. It describes their ill-treatment within the broader pattern of human rights abuses in the kingdom, including the arbitrary detention of activists, rising numbers of executions, and the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018.
In light of this, the resolution calls on the Saudi authorities to take steps to improve their human rights record, including immediately releasing all detainees held arbitrarily, ending torture and other ill-treatment, and abolishing the kafala system.
Furthermore, it urges the European Union (EU) and Member States to take several measures, including requesting permission to visit migrant detention centres, adopting EU-wide sanctions on those responsible for the murder of Khashoggi, and downgrading their representation at the G20 Leaders’ Summit on 21-22 November 2020.
“This resolution, coming shortly after the two-year anniversary of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, sends the clear message to the Saudi authorities that their human rights abuses have not been forgotten and we cannot go back to business as usual,” said ALQST’s Head of Advocacy, Julia Legner. “With several world city mayors having already withdrawn from the G20 process, and now the EU being called to do the same, the G20 is no longer the PR opportunity the Saudi authorities hoped for.”
In the lead up to the G20 summit, ALQST has been campaigning for governments and businesses not to turn a blind eye to the Saudi authorities’ egregious human rights violations, and urging G20 participants and governments to place human rights at the centre of all discussions.
