As Saudi Arabia looks set to win hosting rights to the 2034 World Cup, a new film exposes what life is really like in the country.
ITV’s Kingdom Uncovered shows the reality behind the dazzling narrative of modernity and reform spun by Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS).
He is creating a police state where civil society is muzzled, migrant workers brutally exploited, and incremental gains for women’s rights a mere PR stunt.
Saudi authorities enjoy impunity to continue their relentless abuses in no small part because the UK government – among others – refuses to speak out for fear of damaging its lucrative and high-level ties with Riyadh.
Reality
I know this first-hand since my sister Loujain was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for her women’s rights work.
She had been advocating for women’s right to drive and ending the male guardianship system.
Saudi state security broke into her house in 2018 and forcibly took her away to a series of unknown locations.
Saudi newspapers were already accusing Loujain of being an “agent of enemy states” long before she was formally charged with any offence.
The charges were all related to her human rights work, such as contacting Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as contacting a UK diplomat.
This led to her being tried in the notorious counter-terrorism court and she remains under a travel ban to this day.
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Veneer
Loujain’s story is not a one-off case, but reflects the underlying state of repression hidden beneath the glossy veneer of PR stunts, with the direct complicity of the UK government and British institutions.
One telling example is the case of the deal by which the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought Newcastle United football club.
During the negotiations, the issue of human rights often came up, as the state-sponsored murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was still fresh in people’s minds, and the Saudi regime was still, to some extent, facing the consequences.
The eventual takeover of the club was made subject to supposedly “legally binding assurances” given to the Premier League by the new owners that the Saudi government would not control investment in the club.
We warned that this could not possibly be true, as the chairman of the PIF is Mohammed bin Salman himself.
We were soon proved right when, in an interview, the Fund’s governor Yasir al-Rumayyan revealed that majority decisions of the PIF board can be overturned by the king if the crown prince does not agree with them.
Worse still, it was later revealed that the UK government appeared to have pressured the Premier League to allow the Newcastle deal to go through, for fear of damaging the UK-Saudi relationship.
Sportswashing
The problem with a dictatorship purchasing a top-flight football club in a democratic country extends far beyond the realm of sports.
Such clubs wield significant influence in their communities, not just as entertainment but as pillars of local identity and economic vitality.
When a regime with an indisputably horrific human rights record gains control over one, it risks compromising democratic values and public freedoms at multiple levels, even beyond the football pitch.
What if the dictators buy not just the team but also the club’s stadium and grounds, giving them control over the entry rules, security, and policies for fans?
Will we find the club restricting entry based on spectators’ or journalists’ political views? What would prevent them from banning fans critical of the regime, particularly those who voice their dissent online?
We know the Saudi authorities use cyber surveillance to monitor their critics, even private individuals with only a handful of followers on social media.
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Chilling
It wasn’t long before we saw a shocking example of what can happen. In September, a British journalist was barred from a sporting event – in the United Kingdom – after criticising the Saudi regime, which was hosting and funding the event.
This is a chilling sign of how quickly and seamlessly unbridled foreign influence can infiltrate even established democracies.
It could even be seen as a delayed consequence of the UK allowing Mohammed bin Salman to be diplomatically rehabilitated after the Khashoggi murder, opening the way for further muzzling of journalistic free speech.
The UK’s unconditional support for Riyadh has helped to embolden a repressive regime, with all the power of immense wealth, that enjoys impunity to continue its egregious abuses.
It is shortsighted to put political and commercial interests so nakedly ahead of human rights, and such a toxic relationship could easily backfire.
The UK would be wise to protect its own democracy and domestic interests by refraining from emboldening autocrats. Otherwise, it may only harm itself.
Lina al-Hathloul is head of monitoring at the ALQST human rights group, and co-author of the children’s book Loujain Dreams Of Sunflowers.
