Biden struggles to rein in Saudi Arabia amid human rights concerns
By Laura Kelly - 10/17/21 08:00 AM EDT President Biden came into office calling Saudi Arabia a “pariah” and promising to put human rights at the center of his foreign policy.
But advocates and regional experts say the president has failed to impose serious costs on Riyadh, while emboldening the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, to act with impunity when it comes to respecting human rights, including the targeting of dissidents.
The administration stresses it brings up the issue of human rights in its meetings with Saudi officials, continuing to raise the 2018 murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of a Saudi hit squad operating with the approval of the crown prince.
But it also views the relationship between Washington and Riyadh as vital.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, standing alongside the Saudi foreign minister at the State Department on Thursday, said the two countries work together on “very significant issues, from climate to energy to Yemen to Iran.”
The secretary added that he would also talk “about the continued progress we hope to see in Saudi Arabia on rights.”
But critics argue that the Saudis are dismissing such rhetoric from the administration.
Advocates say that the disappearance and jailing of dissidents is ongoing, allegations of torture in prison are widespread and decades-long sentences are out of proportion with the alleged crimes.
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https://thehill.com/policy/international/576987-biden-struggles-to-rein-in-saudi-arabia-amid-human-rights-concerns
