Saudi Regime Forces Expel Al-Huwaiti Family at Gunpoint to Make Way for NEOM

The “City of the Future” Built on Forced Evictions and State Violence

On the evening of June 16, 2025, Saudi State Security forces, accompanied by the governor of Duba, Mahmoud Al-Harbi, forcibly expelled the mother and sister of Abdulrahim Al-Huwaiti—the last remaining residents of Al-Khuraybah village—from their home at gunpoint. This latest act of repression marks a new chapter in the violent campaign of land seizure and forced displacement linked to the controversial NEOM mega-project.

This is not an isolated case. It is part of a systematic and deliberate policy of erasing entire communities to make way for crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s flagship project. Since January 2020, residents of Al-Khuraybah and other villages in the Tabuk region have received forced eviction notices to clear space for NEOM—one of the crown jewels of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Those who resisted faced arrest, intimidation, and—in the case of Abdulrahim Al-Huwaiti—assassination by state forces in 2020 for speaking out.

The mother of Abdulrahim had refused to leave until her forcibly disappeared sons were released. Instead of respecting her demand, Saudi security forces stormed the home and violently expelled her and her daughter, bringing an end to the peaceful and years-long resistance of the Huwaitat tribe in the village.

NEOM is not being built on innovation, but on the ruins of villages and the crushed dignity of its people.

Over the past years, Together for Justice has documented the arbitrary detention and prosecution of dozens of Huwaitat tribe members for peacefully opposing forced displacement. Many were charged under Saudi Arabia’s anti-terrorism laws and sentenced to 15 to 50 years in prison, while others were handed death sentences. Although a handful of detainees were recently released, such as Abdullah Dakhilallah Al-Huwaiti and Thamer Taysir Al-Huwaiti, many others remain behind bars, and some are still facing execution.

These crimes are not limited to NEOM. In Jeddah—another city listed as a 2034 World Cup host—half a million people have been forcibly evicted since 2021, without fair compensation or adequate resettlement, in a blatant violation of international housing rights standards.

Despite this brutal record, Saudi Arabia continues to be rewarded with international legitimacy. Granting the regime the hosting rights for the 2034 FIFA World Cup is not only a disgrace—it is a direct endorsement of the violence that underpins such projects.

In this regard, Together for Justice:

• Condemns the forced eviction of the Al-Huwaiti family and the broader campaign of abuse surrounding the NEOM project.
• Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all Huwaitat detainees.
• Calls for an independent international investigation into the killings, detentions, and forced displacements tied to Vision 2030.
• Urges all international companies, investors, and partners involved in NEOM to reassess their complicity in human rights violations and pressure Saudi authorities to halt all ongoing abuses.
• Holds the international community accountable for its silence and normalisation of these crimes in exchange for economic and strategic benefits.

NEOM is not a smart city—it is a brutal stain on the Kingdom’s record.

And the World Cup will be played on stolen land.