Saudi Arabian King’s Death Impacts Human Rights

For the past two weeks, higher ups in the international community have flocked to Saudi Arabia to pay respects after the death of King Abdullah on Jan. 23. Everyone from French President Francois Hollande to President Obama met with offered condolences and met with the newly appointed King Salman in order to solidify good relations with the new government. “As our countries worked together to confront many challenges, I always valued King Abdullah’s perspective and appreciated our genuine and warm friendship,” said Obama.

As evident from the rhetoric and gestures of heads of state around the world, King Abdullah was highly respected throughout the international community as a steady ally. Much of the international community’s admiration for the man stems from his reputation as a reformer and his attempts to expand the rights of his citizens.

King Abdullah did admittedly have some success in modernizing his state, improving the lives of the underappreciated and underprivileged, and overturning archaic laws that limited freedoms.

This is especially true of women’s right. French head of the IMF, Christian Lagarde, says that “in a discreet way, he was a strong advocate for women. It was very gradual, appropriately so probably for the country… [but] he was a strong believer.”

Women in Saudi Arabia did see an expansion of their rights under King Abdullah. Professions previously open only to men now see some female representation. In 2013, 30 women were appointed to the Shura council, the advisory body to the cabinet. Women can now receive higher education and vote in elections, freedoms never allowed before Abdullah took control in 2005.

But the truth is Saudi Arabia remains one of the most repressive states, both towards women and society at large, and reform is slow and limited.

Despite a shift forward, human rights violations are still numerous and gruesome. In Saudi Arabia, women are still cannot drive, despite King Abdullah’s promise to overturn this law, and they must receive permission from male guardians to travel or marry. And the rest of society is not immune to similar repression. Journalists are sentenced to a decade in prison and 1,000 lashes for speaking against the government. In 2014 alone, 80 people were beheaded in methods eerily reminiscent to the Islamic State.

Even under one of the most liberal leaders, Saudi Arabian society remains under heavy control. “King Abdullah’s reign brought marginal advances for women, but failed to secure the fundamental rights of Saudi citizens to free expression, association and assembly,” said the Human Rights Watch. The deceased king took steps in the right direction, but success was marginal and failed to address the root of the problem: a misogynistic and oppressive society that thrives by keeping women subordinate and dissent down. Without real change, Saudi Arabia will remain a repressive state where people are tried in terrorist courts and tortured for advocating for basic rights.

The international heads of state that paid tribute to the deceased king are not oblivious to his wrongdoings, and Obama is no exception. The State Department recently released a report reflecting human rights violations under King Abdullah. But, despite overwhelming evidence of heinous repression, the United States policy fails to reflect the abuses. In offering condolences for the King’s death, international leaders continue to support a state that fails to take real steps towards an expansion of rights, and as a result, such treatment of citizens remains. Ideally, world leaders should use the opportunity to impress on the newly appointed King Salman that human rights must be a global priority. As it stands, King Abdullah’s death leaves Saudi Arabian freedoms in question.