The number of executions is down 85 percent. But how real are the reforms in Saudi Arabia?

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has described Saudi Arabia in a very negative way. Now the autocratic realm can point to change.

Women are allowed to drive a car and travel without the company of a male guardian. They will run less. And textbooks will no longer glorify holy warfare.

It is one of the reforms that Saudi Arabia has announced. It will change the impression of this oil-rich country and make it more sought after by investors and tourists alike.

But is it just a bright picture or are the renovations real? Experts are initially positive, but at the same time point to gaps in legislative changes that are causing concern.

Sharp decline in executions

Last year, 27 people were executed in Saudi Arabia. This is an 85 percent decrease from the previous year, when 184 people were executed. Images of men beheading others with swords, often in public places, do not match the new image that Saudi Arabia wants.

According to the country’s human rights commission, the decline is due to fewer drug-related crimes punishable by death.

– More people who have committed non-violent crimes will have another chance, says Awwad Alawwad in a ad On twitter.

He is president of the commission.

Saudi Arabia is also said to have eliminated the death penalty for crimes committed by minors.

However, there are doubts about both changes.

Some point out that the covid-19 pandemic is one of the reasons for the reduction. This includes the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights. They also note that a third of the executions took place in December, when the rules for infection control were no longer as strict.

The activists also point out that there are three young men sentenced to death in prison. They are Shiite Muslims who participated in a demonstration when they were under 18 years old. The death sentences imposed on Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdullah al-Zaher have not been lifted.

It is also concerned that this legislative change was only announced in English, not Arabic.

It was called the pariah state by Biden

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who actually rules the country, developed a warm relationship with former US President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

It can be a lot tougher with Joe Biden in the White House. During the election campaign, Biden called Saudi Arabia a pariah state. He also said he wanted to fight for human rights and called for a change in US relations with Saudi Arabia.

It may have been an important factor in showing that changes are taking place.

The Crown Prince has earned a reputation for supporting the modernization of society, but also as an enemy who threatens the lives of those who oppose him. He is accused of being behind the action in which one of the country’s critics, Jamal Khashoggi, was assassinated in Istanbul. He sent military forces to Yemen, where the attacks have killed many civilians.

And he has arrested many who will not follow his orders, including religious leaders and royalty.

Throw activists in jail

Activists who have fought for reforms have also been detained even though the case they fought for has been completed. This includes Loujain al-Hathloul, who along with others managed to fight for the right of women to drive a car.

In December, she was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in a terrorist court. Hathloul has become perhaps the most famous prisoner in Saudi Arabia. As part of the sentence was made conditional, she is scheduled to be released in February or March. But Hathloul appealed the verdict on the spot. Therefore, there is still uncertainty about what will happen.

– The signal that the Crown Prince sends to the population is that if they demand rights, they will catch him. Which is dangerous, explains Ina Tin.

He works for Amnesty Norway and has written a book on conditions in Saudi Arabia.

– There are reforms, but there is absolutely zero freedom of expression, says Tin.

The reforms have a dark reverse

Hathloul’s example is quite illustrative of the changes in Saudi Arabia. There are real reforms on the one hand. But they also have a very dark back. Furthermore, the lack of freedom of expression makes it very difficult to examine what has actually been done and what has not.

One measurable reform is the school curriculum. Saudi textbooks were full of glorification of the holy war and hateful descriptions of non-Muslims, especially Jews and Christians.

That has largely changed, according to a survey by the Tel Aviv-based IMPACT-se organization.

Saudi Arabia has also announced changes for guest workers. This largely applies to people in low-paying jobs. So far, they have not been able to change employers, nor have they been able to leave the country whenever they wanted. It has depended on the employer or sponsor, as it is called.

Starting in March, guest workers will have more rights that allow them to choose it themselves. It will make Saudi Arabia more attractive to foreign workers.

Can women travel freely now?

More difficult to measure are changes in guardianship legislation. Saudi women have not been allowed to move freely. Legally, they have been able to travel internally in the country, but in practice, the vast majority have not. It is governed by both family culture and laws. Therefore, women have had to accompany a male guardian. That law has been modified so that women have greater freedom.

Women over 21 must be able to apply for a passport and travel without the help of a guardian.

The reality of this reform is not yet clear. According to Ina Tin in Amnesty, the effect of another law dealing with obedience to the tutor is reduced.

– A guardian can accuse a woman of disobedience for anything. It is totally up to him to consider it. Then the woman can be imprisoned. And he won’t get out of jail until the guardian says yes, even if the sentence has been served, Tin says.