Many human rights groups have called on all companies involved in the NEOM project to withdraw from the project and to review their decision to invest in the project, as it causes a major humanitarian crisis for thousands of citizens of Saudi Arabia, which were forcibly displaced, their homes demolished, and forcibly evicting their homes and lands by orders of the Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.
The Saudi Crown Prince did not seek to find a satisfactory solution for all parties, or decently compensate the residents of Neom, but rather wanted them to accept very little compensation for the vast areas he forcibly seized from them.
Human rights organizations expressed that NEOM results in grave violations against a large group of Saudi citizens (Al-Huwaitat tribe) and it also results in violations of the rights of the Palestinians due to the recognition of the occupation state, and the opening participation and investment for Israel in violation of international norms and covenants on human rights as well as allowing them to manage important sectors in the new city.
Oliver Wyman, McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group were among the companies advised by the human rights organisations to reverse their decision.
The human rights organizations stated in their call, that the participation of companies in the establishment, planning, and implementation of this project helps the Crown Prince to continue practicing violations against his people, and the only solution is for companies to stop cooperating with him in order to alleviate the effects of these flagrant practices and violations, represented in preventing the indigenous people from living on their lands in peace, but rather imposing severe punishments against them.
The investment in NEOM holds these companies legally and morally responsible according to the business and human rights laws issued by the United Nations, as their participation in this project would encourage the regime to commit further violations, thus affecting the human rights record of Saudi Arabia which became a lot worse since bin Salman assumed power.
Since bin Salman assumed power in 2017, arbitrary arrests and human rights violations have escalated, for detainees to stay in inhumane conditions for years, suffering constant torture. The numbers of executions, killings, and prosecutions inside and outside KSA have also increased significantly during his era.
Members of Al-Hawitat tribe, which have lived in the region for 8 centuries, protested against the NEOM project and their displacement from their lands and refused the inappropriate amounts of compensation offered by the Saudi authorities in exchange for leaving their homes and moving to another place.
Moreover, the Saudi security forces killed the Saudi citizen, Abdul-Rahim Al-Huwaiti, after he published a series of videos on social media showing the violations against members of his tribe by the Saudi state security forces with the orders of the Crown Prince, and accordingly, the security forces stormed his home and tried to force him out with his family, which resulted in his killing.
The human rights organizations concluded their call for companies to end their investments in NEOM with, “We believe that these measures have a positive impact on the situation in the region, and it constitutes a good opportunity for companies to demonstrate their commitment to international human rights guidelines and standards in their work”.
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