Concerning Systematic Restrictions on the Right to Freedom of Expression in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not recognize the right to free expression, and it criminalizes certain forms of expression, in particular criticism of the ruling family, the ruling system including the kingdom’s official religion, or the government. Authorities regularly arbitrarily arrest, detain, and torture writers, bloggers, human rights defenders, and other activists who criticize state policies, sentencing many to lengthy prison sentences after unfair trials marred by severe due process violations. Authorities also ban activists and writers from traveling internationally, intimidate, harass, and threaten them into silence, and occasionally sentence some to public floggings.