Riyadh
Saudi Arabia took its first, hesitant steps toward democratic reform this week, hosting a human-rights conference and announcing future city-council elections. Neither reform was whole-hearted, however. Speakers at the human-rights conference insisted that sharia, Islamic law, must take precedence over the U.N.’s universal declaration of human rights. Under Saudi Arabia’s version of sharia, criminals face amputation and flogging, which the U.N. considers torture. The country still lacks freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and any rights for women. And the elections the monarchy has planned for next year cover only half of the seats on city councils, bodies that have little power.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The marvelous powers of mucusThe Explainer It's snot just a pesky cold symptom
-
What to know about the 'no tax on tips' policyThe Explainer The new bill would make tip income exempt from federal income taxes
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study findsSpeed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses
