Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/03/un-rights-experts-denounce-planned-saudi-executions
Three members of the Arabian Huwaitat tribe are being punished with execution after opposing the construction of a megacity in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, where their tribe lives. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, plans to construct a $500 billion “futuristic” megacity, called the Neom Project, that includes a 170 km long structure called The Line. There have been multiple allegations of crimes against humanity in the name of said project for years. A man in 2020 was executed for refusing to give up his land. The three men discussed in this article were sent to be executed in August of last year, and their appeal didn’t change anything. The UN has dennounced Saudi Arabia for their actions, saying that the punishment of execution should only be used in the most dire of circumstances, and want Saudi authorities to investigate. The UN Human Rights Council also says that all six cases, three members of the tribe have been imprisoned in the past, are “overly vague.” The UN has also brought up issues with the project itself.
This wasn’t what I expected to see or hear about in 2023, but considering what some Arabian countries want to do, I shouldn’t be surprised. I really hope that these projects fall through, I don’t like the sound of any of this. Especially because these “futuristic” are just suspicious. Everything’s confined to a singular, massive structure. What sort of precautions do they have? What about population growth? I guess I just don’t like the idea of massive singular-structure cities in the middle of the desert. Overall, not cool Saudi Arabia. You’ve had human rights issues for a while, but this is a whole new level.
This article is related to class because the event is happening in my assigned region.