A report released today calls on Saudi authorities to treat minority Shia Muslims as equal citizens. The Saudi government also should create commissions to investigate arbitrary arrests of Shia and to recommend steps to end systemic state discrimination, Human Rights Watch said.
Link to HRW

Tags: Saudi Arabia

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Millions of Domestic Workers Lack Adequate Legal Protection
Governments in the Middle East should act quickly in 2009 to fulfil long standing promises to protect migrant women’s rights, said Human Rights Watch today, ahead of December 18, 2008, International Migrants’ Day. A number of governments have promised major reforms in the response to widespread and egregious [...]

Tags: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

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Many migrant and domestic workers still face abuse and exploitation in Middle Eastern and Asian countries because governments have failed to adopt measures needed to protect them.
Few domestic workers have access to the justice system in the countries where they work, and even those who are able to make complaints of physical or sexual violence [...]

Tags: Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates

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Human Rights Watch today honored Abd al-Rahman al-Lahim, a Saudi human rights lawyer, with the 2008 Human Rights Defenders Award in London.
Al-Lahim is prevented from traveling abroad by the Saudi authorities, and was unable to receive the award in person. He prepared a speech representing his personal views that was read to assembled guests on [...]

Tags: Saudi Arabia

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King Abdullah to Speak at Saudi-Sponsored UN Interfaith Meeting
World leaders should press King Abdullah to end systematic religious discrimination in Saudi Arabia, Human Rights Watch said today. The leaders will gather on November 12 at the United Nations for an interfaith meeting spearheaded by Saudi Arabia to foster the culture of peace.
“There is no religious [...]

Tags: Saudi Arabia, UN

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Groups from 82 Countries Seek Urgent Reforms
As UN member states begin three days of debate on the rights of the child, more than 300 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from 82 countries called on the UN General Assembly to take urgent action to end executions for crimes committed by children, Human Rights Watch said today.
The vast majority [...]

Tags: Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UN, Yemen

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Wahhabi Authorities Discriminate Against Ismaili Citizens
The Saudi government should end its systematic discrimination against its Ismaili religious minority, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Human Rights Watch called upon the government to set up a national institution empowered to recommend remedies for discriminatory policies and responding to individual claims.
The 90-page report, The [...]

Tags: Saudi Arabia

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Human Rights Watch Gives Award to Abd al-Rahman al-Lahim
The Saudi government should immediately lift a travel ban on Saudi human rights lawyer Abd al-Rahman al-Lahim, a winner of the 2008 Human Rights Defender award, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch also announced four other winners of the 2008 award, courageous individuals working for [...]

Tags: Saudi Arabia

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Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan, and Yemen Executed 32 for Crimes Committed as Children
Ending executions for crimes committed by children in just five countries would result in universal implementation of the prohibition on the juvenile death penalty, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Governments should use next week’s United Nations General Assembly [...]

Tags: Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UN, Yemen

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Eight Bahraini men were released without charge in Saudi Arabia on 12 July 2008, after over four months’ detention.
The men had travelled from Bahrain to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and were arrested by security forces when they arrived on 28 February. Their families had no contact with them and were not aware of their exact whereabouts [...]

Tags: Saudi Arabia

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