Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Association	History	Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy with heavy restriction of civil liberties. According to the US State Department, as of 2022, Saudi Arabia’s law “provides for limited freedom of assembly and association, but the government did not respect these rights.” “2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Saudi Arabia. U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/saudi-arabia/ CIA World Factbook. Saudi Arabia. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saudi-arabia/#government Constitution of Saudi Arabia. University of Minnesota. http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/research/saudiarabia/saudi-constitution.html Freedom House. World Freedom Report. Saudi Arabia https://freedomhouse.org/country/saudi-arabia/freedom-world/2022
Freedom of Expression	History	Freedom of expression is not protected by any legal measures in Saudi Arabia. Expression itself is only mentioned in Article 39 of the Basic Law of Governance, adopted in 1992. It states that “mass media and all other vehicles of expression shall employ civil and polite language, contribute towards the education of the nation and strengthen unity. It is prohibited to commit acts leading to disorder and division, affecting the security of the state and its public relations, or undermining human dignity and rights.” “Basic Law of Governance.” The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Accessed July 11, 2023. https://www.saudiembassy.net/basic-law-governance
Freedom of Religion	History	King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud decreed the basic law of governance on March 1, 1992. Article 1 declares Saudi Arabia an Islamic State and the official religion Islam. There are no official religious freedom guaranteed in Saudia Arabi. King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. “The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.” Basic Law of Governance, The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Last modified March 1, 1992. Accessed June 28, 2022. https://www.saudiembassy.net/basic-law-governance.
Freedom of the Press	History	Saudi Arabia has no formal protections on press freedom. Article 39 of Saudi Arabia’s 1992 Constitution outlines how the state conducts relations with the press: “Mass media, publication facilities and other means of expression shall function in a manner that is courteous and fair and shall abide by State laws. They shall play their part in educating the masses and boosting national unity. All that may give rise to mischief and discord, or may compromise the security of the State and its public image, or may offend against man's dignity and rights shall be banned. Relevant regulations shall explain how this is to be done" (Constitute Project, “Saudi Arabia’s Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2013” ).
Privacy Rights	History	The 1992 Saudi Constitution does not explicitly protect privacy but claims privacy in communications and homes in Articles 37 and 40 (Constitute Project, “Saudi Arabia’s Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2005” ). https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Saudi_Arabia_ 2013? lang=en
Voting Rights and Suffrage	History	Citizens of Saudi Arabia do not typically have the consistent and direct right to vote in elections, especially for national offices. Elections have been held intermittently in recent history. (Constitute Project, “Saudi Arabia’s Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2013” ).