Today marks twenty years since the establishment of the so-called Saudi Human Rights Commission — a moment that should not be celebrated, but remembered as a symbol of betrayal for all those who once hoped it would stand with the oppressed and defend basic rights.
Over two decades, this commission has proven to be nothing more than a decorative façade for the ruling regime, created to deceive the world into believing there is independent oversight of human rights in the kingdom. In reality, its core mission has been to protect perpetrators of violations, whitewash abuses, and silence victims.
A Body That Protects Perpetrators, Not Victims
In twenty years, the commission has never issued a single report holding officials accountable for the regime’s mass arrests, torture, or extrajudicial killings. Instead, it has repeatedly published soft statements denying or justifying grave abuses, even as hundreds of activists, scholars, and journalists languish behind bars after sham trials devoid of due process.
Rather than defending victims, the commission has legitimised violations under the pretext of “combating terrorism” or “protecting national security,” becoming a political shield for the regime against international accountability.
A Propaganda Arm for the Regime
Although it is officially said to be “independent” and directly linked to the King, the commission has functioned solely as a propaganda tool to whitewash the regime’s brutal record and mislead international observers into believing there is internal oversight.
Instead of standing with the oppressed, it has been promoting the regime’s repressive policies and using the language of human rights as a cover to conceal crimes, detentions, torture, and repression.
On this anniversary, Together for Justice affirms that the Saudi Human Rights Commission was never created to protect human rights, but to legitimise their violation — never to defend victims, but to shield their oppressors.
After two decades of complicity and failure, the international community must stop recognising this body as a human rights institution and start holding the Saudi regime fully accountable for its bloody record instead of being deceived by its so-called “Human Rights Commission.”