UN: Saudi Arabia to be appointed chair of UN gender equality forum despite ‘abysmal’ women’s rights record

Leaked draft of first written penal code shows catastrophic consequences for women

Saudi women who have tweeted support for women’s rights sentenced to some of the longest prison terms Amnesty has documented

‘Saudi Arabia cannot prove its commitment to women’s rights merely by securing a leadership role in the Commission’ - Sherine Tadros

Ahead of the expected announcement that Saudi Arabia will be appointed chair of the UN women’s rights forum at the UN Commission of the Status of Women’s annual meeting today, Sherine Tadros, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Advocacy, said:

“The Commission on the Status of Women has a clear mandate to promote women’s rights and gender equality and it is vital for the chair of the commission to uphold this.

“Saudi Arabia’s abysmal record when it comes to protecting and promoting the rights of women puts a spotlight on the vast gulf between the lived reality for women and girls in Saudi Arabia, and the aspirations of the Commission.

“Saudi Arabia’s 2022 Personal Status Law, hailed by the authorities as a step towards progress and equality in fact entrenches gender-based discrimination in every aspect of family life, from marriage, to divorce, child custody and inheritance, and fails to protect women from gender-based violence.

“Saudi Arabia cannot prove its commitment to women’s rights merely by securing a leadership role in the Commission. It must demonstrate its commitment through concrete actions domestically, including by abolishing the male guardianship system and repealing provisions from its laws that discriminate against women.

“Saudi Arabia’s authorities must also end their crackdown on freedom of expression and immediately release all those unjustly detained for expressing their views including expressing support for women’s rights.”

Women human rights defenders persecuted

Amnesty’s report, Manifesto of Repression, published this week highlights how a leaked draft of Saudi Arabia’s first written penal code would have further catastrophic consequences for women in the country. Women human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia face persecution and prominent women’s rights activists have had travel bans and other restrictions imposed on their ability to exercise their right to freedom of expression.

Saudi Arabian women who have tweeted in support of women’s rights have been sentenced to some of the longest prison terms Amnesty has ever documented for simply expressing one’s opinions, including sentences of 45 years and 27 years. Manahel al-Otaibi currently faces trial before Saudi Arabia’s notorious counter-terrorism court simply for tweeting in support of women’s rights and posting a picture of herself on Snapchat without wearing an abaya (traditional robe).