Saudi Arabia & Gulf
In September 2017 Saudi Arabia detained prominent scholars, among them Salman al-Awda, Awad al-Qarni and Ali al-Omari, and prosecutors sought the death penalty for them. Saudi Arabia executed Shia men and others after unfair trials on terrorism or 'deviant beliefs' charges, 81 men in one day in March 2022. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have detained or deported Uyghurs to China. The Saudi- and UAE-led coalition's air war in Yemen killed thousands of civilians at weddings, markets, a funeral and a school bus. The UAE jails its own critics in mass trials and ran secret prisons in southern Yemen; Bahrain demolished Shia mosques in 2011.
Key numbers
Who is responsible
Saudi Arabia: State Security Presidency, Public Prosecution and Specialized Criminal Court, Saudi security forces. United Arab Emirates: State Security and courts (UAE94, UAE84), UAE forces and allied Yemeni units (secret prisons). The Saudi- and UAE-led military coalition in Yemen. Bahraini authorities (2011 mosque demolitions).
Timeline
- 2011 Bahrain demolishes dozens of Shia mosques in the crackdown
- 2013 UAE94 mass trial of Emirati reformers
- 2015 Coalition air war in Yemen begins; wedding near Mokha struck, ~131 killed
- 2016 47 executed in one day; Mastaba market and Sanaa funeral hall struck
- 2017 Scholars al-Awda, al-Qarni, al-Omari detained; Awamiyah old quarter razed; UAE secret prisons in Yemen exposed
- 2019 37 executed in one day
- 2020 Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti shot dead over NEOM
- 2022 81 executed in one day; Huwaitat men sentenced to death
Records (21)
Shia mosques demolished in Bahrain
During the 2011 crackdown Bahraini authorities demolished 53 Shia religious structures according to information given to the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, which visited 30 sites, 28 of them mosques. Some were later rebuilt.
30–53 mosques & sacred places destroyed
Source: USCIRF Annual Report 2012: Bahrain · Christian Science Monitor: Bahrain's Sunni rulers target Shiite mosques
UAE94 mass trial
In 2013 the UAE tried 94 critics, lawyers and reformers in a mass trial; many stayed in prison after their terms ended and were re-tried in the UAE84 case.
Saudi/UAE-led coalition air war in Yemen
The Yemen Data Project recorded at least 22,766 coalition air raids from March 2015 to March 2021, with 8,759 civilians killed and 9,815 injured; about a third hit non-military sites. Saudi Arabia called the figures exaggerated.
8,759 killed
Source: Middle East Eye: Coalition carried out at least 22,766 air raids · Yemen Data Project: Saudi air war 2015–2022
Mokha wedding strike
Air strikes hit two wedding tents in Wahijah village near Mokha on 28 September 2015, killing about 131 people; the UN Secretary-General condemned it. The coalition denied involvement.
130–135 killed
Source: Middle East Eye: Over 130 killed in suspected coalition air raid at wedding: UN · UN Secretary-General statement
47 executed in one day, incl. Shaykh Nimr al-Nimr
Saudi Arabia executed 47 people on 2 January 2016, including Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose trial Amnesty called political and grossly unfair.
47 killed
Source: Amnesty International: Shia cleric among 47 executed in a single day · VOA: Saudi Arabia executes 47
Mastaba market strike
Coalition air strikes using US-supplied bombs hit the Mastaba market in Hajjah at about noon on 15 March 2016, killing at least 97 civilians, including 25 children (HRW).
97–119 killed
Source: Human Rights Watch: US bombs used in deadliest market strike
Sanaa funeral hall strike
Air strikes hit the Great Hall in Sanaa during a funeral on 8 October 2016. The UN said more than 140 were killed and over 525 wounded. The coalition first denied responsibility, then said it was ready to investigate.
82–140 killed
Source: Spokesman-Review (AP): UN, Yemeni officials indicate more than 140 killed · Bellingcat: SAN10005 Al Kubra funeral hall strike
Demolition of al-Musawara, Awamiyah
Security forces besieged Awamiyah from 10 May 2017 and bulldozed its historic al-Musawara quarter despite UN experts' calls to stop. Saudi authorities said 488 homes were demolished by August; reports put deaths during the operation at 2 to at least 5.
488 mosques & sacred places destroyed2–5 killed
Source: Al Jazeera: Saudi security forces flatten old quarter of Awamiya · ADHRB: UN experts urge Saudi to halt demolition
UAE-run secret prisons in southern Yemen
In June 2017 AP documented at least 18 secret prisons in southern Yemen run by the UAE or allied forces, with torture at Riyan airport in Mukalla. HRW reported forced disappearances. In November 2017, 133 detainees were moved out of Riyan.
133 detained
Source: Fox News (AP): In Yemen's secret prisons, UAE tortures and US interrogates · Al Jazeera: HRW: UAE backs torture and disappearances in Yemen
Shaykh Ali al-Omari detained
Scholar and broadcaster Ali al-Omari was arrested in September 2017 and tried in secret before the Specialized Criminal Court on about 30 terrorism-related charges; the prosecutor sought the death penalty. Rights groups say statements obtained under torture were used against him.
1 detained
Source: Al Jazeera: Key Sahwa figures Saudi Arabia is cracking down on · ESOHR: Seeking death penalty for Dr. Ali Alomari
Shaykh Salman al-Awda detained
Saudi state security took scholar Salman al-Awda from his home on 7 September 2017, hours after he tweeted for reconciliation with Qatar. In September 2018 prosecutors brought 37 charges and sought the death penalty; the trial before the Specialized Criminal Court has been postponed many times.
1 detained
Source: Human Rights Watch: Prominent cleric may face death penalty · Amnesty International: Reformist cleric faces death sentence · Al Jazeera: Saudi 'seeks death penalty' for Salman al-Awdah
Shaykh Awad al-Qarni detained
Scholar Awad al-Qarni was arrested without a warrant on 12 September 2017. Prosecutors at the Specialized Criminal Court called for the death penalty over charges including his social media use; sentencing set for November 2019 was postponed.
1 detained
Source: MENA Rights Group: Awad Al Qarni at risk of execution · Al Jazeera: Key Sahwa figures Saudi Arabia is cracking down on
Uyghur Ahmad Talip deported from Dubai
Uyghur Ahmad Talip was detained in Dubai and deported to China; his wife was told on 25 February 2018. UAE authorities never said what he was accused of.
1 displaced
Source: NBC News: China is hunting Uyghurs around the world · ABC17 (CNN): Uyghurs are being deported from Muslim countries
Uyghurs deported by Saudi Arabia to China
RFA identified at least four Uyghurs deported from Saudi Arabia to China over four years, some on pilgrimage or living there legally; one was detained on 25 July 2018 and sent back in February 2019.
4 displaced
Source: RFA: Four Uyghurs facing persecution after deportation by Saudi Arabia identified
Dahyan school bus strike
A coalition air strike hit a school bus in Dahyan market, Saada, on 9 August 2018, killing about 40 children; the health ministry said at least 51 died. HRW called it an apparent war crime; the coalition admitted mistakes on 1 September.
40–51 killed
Source: CNN: Bomb that killed 40 children in Yemen was supplied by the US · Bellingcat: Analysing the Dahyan bombing · Daily Sabah: Strike on Yemen bus apparent war crime: HRW
37 executed on 23 April 2019
Saudi Arabia beheaded 37 men on 23 April 2019, 32 of them Shia men convicted on terrorism charges after trials rights groups called unfair; six were children at the time of the alleged offences.
37 killed
Source: Amnesty International: 37 put to death in shocking execution spree · Al Jazeera: Amnesty: Saudi Arabia executed record number in 2019
Huwaitat tribesmen sentenced to death
On 2 October 2022 the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced Shadli, Ibrahim and Ataullah al-Huwaiti to death for resisting eviction for NEOM; the sentences were upheld on 23 January 2023. ALQST estimated about 150 Huwaitat people were detained since 2020.
150 detained
Source: ALQST: Death sentences for men who refused to make way for Neom · ALQST: Death sentences upheld for three men who resisted NEOM
Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti killed over NEOM
Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti, who had posted videos opposing eviction of the Huwaitat tribe for the NEOM project, was shot dead by security forces at his home in al-Khariba, Tabuk province, in April 2020. Authorities said he died in a shootout.
1 killed
Source: ALQST: Death sentences for men who refused to make way for Neom
81 executed on 12 March 2022
Saudi Arabia executed 81 men on 12 March 2022, the largest mass execution in its modern history; charges included terrorism and holding 'deviant beliefs'. Amnesty called it an appalling escalation.
81 killed
Source: Death Penalty Information Center: mass execution of 81 · Dawn (AFP): Saudi Arabia puts to death record 81 people in one day
Four Uyghurs incl. a child held for extradition
In 2022 the Arab Organisation for Human Rights warned that Saudi authorities had moved four Uyghurs, including a child, to Riyadh to prepare their extradition to China.
4 detained
Source: AOHR UK: Saudi Arabia must halt deportation of Uyghur citizens and children
UAE84 mass trial: 43 life sentences
On 10 July 2024 an Abu Dhabi court sentenced 43 of 84 defendants to life for 'terror' offences, most of them already jailed since the UAE94 trial. Amnesty called it a sham; the Federal Supreme Court upheld it in 2025.
84 detained
Source: The New Arab: UAE sentences 43 to life in mass trial · MENA Rights Group: The UAE84 case