Starmer’s Visit to Saudi Arabia: A Step Away from Justice and Accountability
“Together for Justice” expresses grave concern over UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which emphasized economic cooperation while neglecting Saudi Arabia’s persistent human rights abuses.
The visit coincides with ongoing severe violations by the Saudi regime, including the silencing of peaceful activists, arbitrary detention of dissidents, a surge in executions, and the systemic use of torture to extract false confessions. These atrocities continue to take place under the guise of maintaining “order” but at the cost of justice and human dignity.
Prime Minister Starmer hailed the visit as an opportunity to bolster investments and job creation in the UK. He highlighted initiatives such as carbon fiber production for the Neom project, hydrogen mobility technologies, and sustainable concrete ventures. These projects, while touted as economic advancements, come with a dark side—an implicit endorsement of a regime with a longstanding record of human rights violations.
The Neom project, a centerpiece of Saudi Arabia’s so-called vision for progress, has been marred by grave human rights abuses. Entire communities in the Hijaz region have been forcibly displaced to clear land for its development. Families resisting eviction were threatened, and in some instances, killed. Workers on this project endure exploitative conditions with minimal protections, reflecting a blatant disregard for labor rights and international standards. Associating the UK with such a controversial project raises serious ethical questions.
Additionally, Starmer announced a partnership between Saudi Aramco and Carbon Clean, a UK company, to develop carbon capture technologies. While framed as an effort to support Saudi Arabia’s net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2060, the reality contradicts these claims. The Kingdom remains one of the world’s largest fossil fuel exporters, with vast resources committed to sustaining the global oil economy. This collaboration undermines the UK’s public stance on climate change and sustainability, revealing a troubling prioritization of short-term economic gains over meaningful environmental action.
It is alarming to witness Western leaders like Starmer deepen their ties with a regime that has yet to be held accountable for high-profile crimes, including the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Despite global outrage, justice remains elusive, with the key perpetrators enjoying impunity. Visits like these, devoid of human rights considerations, embolden such regimes and diminish global efforts to uphold accountability and justice.
“Together for Justice” calls on the UK government to align its foreign relations with its proclaimed values of democracy, justice, and human rights. Economic cooperation must not come at the expense of moral obligations. The UK has an opportunity—and a responsibility—to press Saudi Arabia on its abysmal human rights record, demand the release of political prisoners, and ensure accountability in egregious cases like Khashoggi’s assassination.
Neglecting these responsibilities sends a dangerous signal: that economic interests outweigh fundamental human rights. Such a stance not only weakens the UK’s credibility on the international stage but also enables further violations in Saudi Arabia and beyond. “Together for Justice” urges Western governments to prioritize justice and human dignity over fleeting economic benefits, ensuring that their actions reflect the principles they claim to uphold.
