The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is a

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

organisation closely associated with and funded by the Saudi government. It was established on 10 March 2004 ;Founders
two years after the

Human Rights First Society The Human Rights First Society (''HRFS'', ar, جمعية حقوق الإنسان أولا) is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation which seeks to promote human rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the few independent gro ...

applied unsuccessfully for a licence. , the President of the NSHR was Mufleh bin Rabayan al-Qahtani.

History

In March 2004, several citizens of the Kingdom of

established the National Society for Human RightsThe Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. described the NSHR as the "first independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia".

was created two years earlier, in 2002, and denied a licence to exist formally.

Work

The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) implements the international human rights charters signed by Saudi Arabia, and it also includes a special panel to monitor violations of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countri ...

. According to its resolution, the Society seeks to protect human rights and preserve human dignity as ordered by

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...

, Most Powerful, in the

Qur’an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sin ...

: "And indeed We have honoured the Children of Adam". It seeks to support the rights of citizens, to monitor and pursue their rights as established and recognized by Islamic

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

law and applicable regulations, and seeks to protect citizens from possible violations, abuses, and breaches of those rights. It also seeks to contribute to international efforts and worldwide cooperation aimed at preserving human rights.Resolution
/ref> The main office is in

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...

, but it also has four other branches in Saudi Arabia, located in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

, Makkah, Jizan, and East Province, and it is working to open a fifth branch in Aljouf. The Society initially consisted of 41 founding members, six of whom are women. NHSR issues periodic reports on the progress of

, including a monthly bulletin called ''Hogog'' ("Rights"). The Society's income is generated from publications, bulletins, and revenue generated from symposia and fairs. Moreover, revenues are generated from property investments. In addition, the Society accepts gifts, testaments, ''Awqaf'' (endowments), grants, and other resources that do not contradict with the objectives of the Society.The Constitution of The National Society for Human Rights
/ref>

Support for Saudi government

The August 2018 diplomatic dispute with Canada started when Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Chrystia Freeland Christina Alexandra Freeland (born August 2, 1968) is a Canadian politician serving as the tenth and current deputy prime minister of Canada since 2019 and the minister of finance since 2020. A member of the Liberal Party, Freeland represen ...

's called on 2 August 2018 in a tweet for Saudi human rights activists Samar Badawi and

Raif Badawi Raif bin Muhammad Badawi ( ar, رائف بن محمد بدوي, also transcribed Raef bin Mohammed Badawi; born 13 January 1984) is a Saudi writer, dissident and activist, as well as the creator of the website ''Free Saudi Liberals''. Badawi wa ...

to be released from prison. The Saudi government responded with punitive actions against Canada. NSHR stated its support for the Saudi governmental response. The head of the NHSR, Mufleh bin Rabayan al-Qahtani, stated to the Saudi Press Agency that the tweet transgressed international norms and Saudi sovereignty.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Society For Human Rights 2004 establishments in Saudi Arabia Organizations established in 2004 Human rights organisations based in Saudi Arabia

History

Work

Support for Saudi government

See also

References

External links