| Hi Xavier, Just like dirty money, bad reputations can be laundered – and there are plenty of companies willing to help with that. Saudi Arabia, for example, has spent millions of dollars to polish its reputation and suppress criticism from international media. With the help of Western PR agencies, the government is pushing the image of a modern country attractive for foreign investors. At home, however, the Kingdom regularly arrests and prosecutes human rights defenders, censors free speech, limits free movement, and tortures and mistreats detained journalists and activists. The Crown Prince's recent 'anti-corruption' purge seems to be little more than a means of consolidating political power. Despite government claims of recovering approximately US$106 billion of stolen assets, there was no due process, transparent investigation or fair and free trial for suspects. So, as Saudi Arabia is taking over as host country for the G20, including the Civil20 (C20) engagement group for civil society organisations, we will be keeping our distance. We don't want to be part of a process that whitewashes Saudi Arabia's dire human rights record. Over the past years, we've been at G20 summits from Buenos Aires to Osaka, making policy recommendations and calling on leaders to keep their anti-corruption commitments. But we will not engage with a host state that disregards human rights and closes civic space until it is virtually non-existent. Saudi Arabia cannot be trusted to guarantee the basic conditions for international civil society to exchange ideas and collaborate freely. While we will not participate in the C20 this year, we will keep working to make sure the voices of civil society are heard globally in 2020. What do you think? Let us know @anticorruption. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment