After Saudi Arabia announced the death of King Abdullah early Friday, tributes pouring in from around the globe lauded the monarch as a progressive reformer — by the ultraconservative kingdom’s standards.
The late king “strove for a cautious modernization of his country,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called King Abdullah a “powerful voice for tolerance, moderation, and peace.” Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, went even further: “In a very discreet way, he was a strong advocate of women,” she said at the World Economic Forum at Davos.
Despite incremental reforms, human rights advocates pointed out that Saudi Arabia remained an extremely repressive country under King Abdullah.
Salil Shetty, the head of Amnesty International, told Agence France-Presse on Friday that world leaders have turned a blind eye to human rights violations in the country. “The Saudi regime seems insensitive to human rights and human dignity and unfortunately they are also protected by many Western countries because they have oil and because they are seen as allies in the fight against terrorism,” he said.
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Saudi Arabia’s harsh interpretation of Islamic law mandates brutal criminal punishments, including public executions, whippings and amputations.
Last week, disturbing footage emerged of Saudi authorities beheading a woman by sword on the streets of Mecca, reportedly after she was convicted of murder.
Rights advocates criticize the punishments as cruel, and disproportionate when applied for non-violent offenses, such as adultery, apostasy and witchcraft. Activists warn that Saudi Arabia’s justice system lacks basic legal protections for defendants.
King Abdullah promised to implement legal reforms in 2007, but was obstructed by the conservative judiciary, Reuters reports. Last year, Human Rights Watch noted a surge in the number of executions carried out in the kingdom.
