Britain’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has been called upon to boycott the Saudi-hosted G20 summit in protest at Saudi Arabia’s attempts to displace the Huwaitat tribe from its land to make way for Neom.
Lawyers representing the tribe, 20,000 of whom could face being displaced, said in a letter to Raab that he had a “moral imperative” to support the Huwaitat.
The letter, seen by the Telegraph newspaper, says: “The Howeitat Tribe are the victims of ongoing serious human rights violations by the Saudi Arabian government. “[They] are now in the process of being forcibly removed from their homeland by the Saudi Arabian authorities.”
Similar letters have been sent to the European Commission and Council.
Activists say that 20 tribespeople have been detained in recent months for standing up to plans to force them from the land they have called home for centuries.
One Huwaitat tribe member, Abdul Rahim al-Howeiti, was shot dead by Saudi forces in April after refusing to give up his home after being told to do so by Saudi authorities.
Alya Abutayah, a member of the tribe who is now based in London, said: “They were kidnapped one by one. “Every day someone is expecting someone from their family to be kidnapped…we are urging people not to invest in this project, which is built on the blood of the Howeitat.”
A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said: “We continue to raise human rights issues, including reports of evictions, with the Saudi authorities.
“The G20 summit will be a critical moment for the UK to help lead the global push for a sustainable recovery from coronavirus.”
