At a time when the international community agrees that human rights are eroding in Saudi Arabia and that complaints and abuses are becoming more widespread, the Saudi government is getting ready to host the United Nations Internet Governance Forum in Riyadh at the end of this year. The UN section was founded as a multilateral forum to promote debate on Internet-related public policy issues.
It is important to note that the forum will be discussing a number of topics during next December, which can be summed up as follows: innovation and risk management in the digital age; improving the role of technology in promoting peace, development, and sustainability; and advancing human rights in order to keep up with the latest advancements in the digital age, including the potential capabilities to improve digital governance of the Internet.
Human rights activists from around the world said that Saudi Arabia’s hosting of this forum—which will cover the scope, bounds, and standards of human rights in the era of digital developments—is seen as a pay-for-play act of global hypocrisy because it is inconceivable for any sane person to think that a country whose human rights records are widely known to be dismal could host a forum on the subject.
Human rights activists suggested that instead of talking about the reality of human rights in the digital age, this forum should address the proceedings of the trial of Khashoggi’s killers, the violations of the Saudi war on Yemen, and the conditions of political detainees from all segments of society in the Saudi Crown Prince’s prisons.
According to Freedom House, there is an absolute monarchy that limits all civil liberties and political rights in a nation that eight out of every 100 reports in 2023 unanimously identify as being unfree.
Not to mention, Mohamed bin Salaman’s Vision 2030 projects have received a lot of negative feedback, not the least of which is that they are unrealistic and should never be implemented.
Looking at the forum’s main topics in the same context, we will find that at least two of them completely contradict Saudi Arabia’s reality, as the kingdom does not advance human rights and does not contribute to peace. This means that the forum is paid for and serves only as a new tool for the Saudi Crown Prince to use to further his international image while ignoring the problems with governance and violations of human rights in his kingdom.
Further evidence reveals that MBS’s state employs social media platforms to stifle opposition voices in all immoral forms, intimidate opinion leaders, attack violators with threats and defamation, and monitor political discourse. These tactics are supported by extensive electronic monitoring systems that are backed by networks of bots and accounts that post messages endorsing the Crown Prince’s policies, criticizing the government, and insulting the opposition, particularly on the former X Twitter platform.
The question still stands: Even if this forum is paid for, is it reasonable and rational for a state of fear and coercion to host a discussion about the digitization of life and human rights at a time when the nation’s machine of repression is brutal and has a poor record in the area of human rights?
