Saudi Arabia often makes headlines for breaking records in entertainment, culture, and global events. The world marvels at its lavish festivals, the largest-ever Ardah dance performance, record-breaking concerts, and extravagant sports deals. But behind this carefully curated image lies another set of records—ones soaked in oppression, injustice, and human rights violations. These records, however, rarely make the front pages. The world looks away, distracted by the dazzling lights of Saudi Arabia’s manufactured progress while ignoring the grim reality of its expanding repression.
The Kingdom has not only set records in entertainment but also in human rights abuses. In 2024 alone, Saudi Arabia executed over 330 people, the highest number recorded in years, surpassing previous highs despite repeated assurances of reform. These executions followed trials that failed to meet even the most basic standards of justice—secret proceedings, confessions extracted under duress, and a complete lack of credible evidence that would justify not only imprisonment but the ultimate act of taking a human life.
Saudi authorities have long attempted to present themselves as champions of modernization and reform. In 2020, King Salman issued a royal decree abolishing the death penalty for minors. Yet, years later, the Kingdom continues to execute individuals who were arrested as children, proving that these so-called reforms are nothing more than empty promises. Similarly, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly vowed that executions would be limited to the “most extreme cases,” pledging a shift toward a more just legal system. However, the numbers tell a different story—executions have skyrocketed, and trials remain deeply flawed, exposing the complete disregard for fundamental human rights and due process.
Beyond capital punishment, Saudi prisons remain filled with political detainees, journalists, and human rights defenders who dared to express an opinion that the regime deemed unacceptable. These prisoners face severe torture, prolonged solitary confinement, and inhumane conditions designed to break them physically and psychologically. Medical neglect is rampant, family visits are heavily restricted, and access to legal representation is virtually nonexistent. The state spares no effort in crushing dissent, ensuring that no voice can rise against its abuses.
While the world applauds Saudi Arabia’s extravagant spending on entertainment and sports, it must not ignore the brutal reality that lies beneath the surface. How can a nation that spends billions on concerts and global events justify the mass executions, the secret trials, the torture chambers, and the silencing of anyone who dares to speak the truth? Why do world leaders, celebrities, and corporations rush to participate in Saudi Arabia’s grand spectacles while turning a blind eye to the suffering behind its prison walls?
Saudi Arabia’s true record-breaking achievements are not found in the Guinness World Records for dance performances or music festivals but in the sheer scale of its human rights violations. The world must not be fooled by the manufactured image of progress while countless victims languish in Saudi dungeons, stripped of their basic dignity and denied justice. The true measure of a nation’s progress is not in the size of its events but in the protection of its people’s rights.
These violations cannot remain in the shadows. The world must reject Saudi Arabia’s attempts to whitewash its crimes with glitzy spectacles. Justice demands that the victims of its repression are not forgotten. It is time to stop applauding the Kingdom’s entertainment empire while ignoring the blood it spills behind closed doors.