SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, released today, Thursday, January 16, 2020, a report entitled: (Al-Mahrah; Invisible Violations), highlighting the Saudi role in Al-Mahrah and the human rights violations in the province which is far from the ongoing conflict in the country, on the basis of the findings of a field visit conducted by SAM monitors to Al-Mahrah during February 2019, where the team interviewed 25 activists of Al-Mahrah people, including leaders of the protest movement concerned with organizing peaceful sit-ins against the Saudi military presence in the governorate, and documented many testimonies about incidents of repression and violations of human rights, and concluded into a clear picture of the human rights situation in the province in light of the developments taking place, especially with regard to the militarization of the province which is far from the armed conflict in the country.
The report provides a legal framework, a brief definition of the governorate, and a historical background about it, and delve into the human rights situation in the governorate, related to basic rights and violations of civil and political rights, and Saudi policies that undermine the rule of law and violate national sovereignty and cause harm to the social peace, known in the governate for ages, with a focus on the consequences of the Saudi military presence in the province.
The report examines many incidents of violations, including related to violations of the right to physical and moral integrity or the right to freedom, namely freedom of peaceful assembly and expression of opinion, as well as violations that affected fishermen and deprived hundreds of them of the only source of livelihood, due to the militarization of fishing sites and the attack on fishermen.