ALQST

{{Infobox organization

| name = ALQST

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| founded_date = {{start date|df=yes|2014|08}}

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| founder = Yahya Assiri

| location = Saudi Arabia, London

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| key_people = Yahya Assiri

| area_served = Saudi Arabia

| product =

| focus = research and advocacy for human rights in Saudi Arabia

| method = researching human rights in Saudi Arabia based on Saudi Arabia based team and publishing documentation and news reports by London team; "lobbying against [human rights violations] using peaceful and legal methods"

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| homepage = {{URL|alqst.org/eng}}

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ALQST or Al Qst ({{langx|ar|منظمة القسط}}) is a human rights organisation that documents and promotes human rights in Saudi Arabia, with a team in Saudi Arabia that researches cases and a team in London that publishes reports and news.

Aims and origin

ALQST was founded in August 2014 by Yahya Assiri, a former Royal Saudi Air Force officer, with the aim of documenting human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and publishing reports on these. Assiri described the choice of the name as deliberately using a term from the Quran that means "justice", in order to avoid the organisation being perceived as attacking Saudi Arabian culture.

As of 2023, Lina al-Hathloul, the sister of Loujain al-Hathloul, is ALQST's head of monitoring{{cite Q|Q131531031|url-status=live}} and advocacy.[https://alqst.org/en/who-are-we Who We Are], ALQST

Reports and appeals

=Human rights activists=

In February 2018, ALQST opposed the conviction and sentencing of Issa al-Nukheifi, who was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, to be followed by a six-year international travel ban and social media ban, for having tweeted his criticism of Saudi authorities for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen and against official handling of "criminal proceedings and security procedures".

ALQST has documented the detention of women's human rights activists, including the wave of arrests that started with the detention of Noha al-Balawi in January 2018, who was questioned during her detention for her women's rights activities. Al-Balawi was the first in a 2018 wave of arrests of women's rights activists involved in the women to drive movement and the anti male-guardianship campaign. ALQST described the series of arrests as an "unprecedented targeting of women human rights defenders" while United Nations special rapporteurs called them a "crackdown".

In August 2018, ALQST called for the dropping of charges against Israa al-Ghomgham, a human rights advocate especially known for her documentation of and participation in the Qatif unrest that started in 2011 and continued during 2017–18. ALQST stated that the prosecutor in al-Ghomgham's case had requested that she be sentenced to death for what ALQST described as "her involvement in peaceful rights activism".

=Muslim scholars=

In September 2018, ALQST reported that Salman al-Ouda, a Saudi Muslim scholar who had in 1993 co-founded the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights, a Saudi opposition group, risked the death penalty for lèse-majesté in a court case against him in the Specialized Criminal Court.

=Kafala system=

In 2018, France 24 and ALQST reported on the use of Twitter and other online social networks by kafala system employers, "kafils", to "sell" migrant domestic workers to other kafils, in violation of Saudi law. ALQST described the online trading as "slavery 2.0".

=Appeal to United Nations General Assembly=

In October 2018, ALQST joined 160 other civil society organisations in calling for an independent international investigation into the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi and for Saudi Arabia to be suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council.

=Salman reign human rights report=

In its second annual conference in December 2018, ALQST released a report summarising the human rights situation during the reign of King Salman. ALQST described the beginning of the reign as a "period of repression unprecedented both in its scope and its range of methods, exceeding in intensity anything seen before in previous eras." ALQST listed human rights violations including "excessive use of armed force – including artillery – in a densely-populated residential area" during the 2017–19 Qatif unrest, the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, and the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.

ALQST divided waves of arrests during 2017–2019 into three waves. The 10 September 2017 arrests of Salman al-Ouda, Abdullah al-Maliki, Essam al-Zamel and other academics, intellectuals, media professionals and religious leaders constituted the first wave. The second wave was the 2017 Saudi Arabian purge that started on 4 November 2017, in which several hundred prominent Saudi Arabian princes, government ministers, and business people were detained. ALQST defined the third wave as the 2018 crackdown on women involved in the women to drive movement and the anti male-guardianship campaign and their male supporters. The women were detained and several of them were tortured.

References

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite web | title= Who we are | publisher= ALQST | url= https://alqst.org/eng/who-we-are/ | accessdate= 28 October 2018 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028201641/https://alqst.org/eng/who-we-are/ | archive-date= 28 October 2018 | url-status= dead }}

{{cite news | title= alqst.org | publisher= Reporters Without Borders | url= https://rsf.org/en/alqstorg |accessdate=28 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028201805/https://rsf.org/en/alqstorg |archive-date= 28 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite news | title= The Saudi air force officer who became a human rights activist | date= 5 March 2015 | publisher= Middle East Eye | url= https://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/yahya-assiri-saudi-human-rights-1788490662 |accessdate=28 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181029152034/https://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/yahya-assiri-saudi-human-rights-1788490662 |archive-date= 29 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite news | title= British arms dealer 'sold spy technology that enabled Arab Spring crackdowns' | date= 15 June 2017 | publisher= Al-Araby Al-Jadeed | url= https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/6/15/bae-sold-mass-surveillance-technology-that-enabled-arab-spring-crackdowns |accessdate=29 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181029113746/https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/6/15/bae-sold-mass-surveillance-technology-that-enabled-arab-spring-crackdowns |archive-date=29 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite news | title= Saudi Arabia 'seeks death penalty' for female activist | date= 22 August 2018 | publisher= Al Jazeera English | url= https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/saudi-arabia-seeks-death-penalty-female-activist-180822111933881.html |accessdate=28 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028202114/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/saudi-arabia-seeks-death-penalty-female-activist-180822111933881.html |archive-date= 28 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite web | title = Saudi Prosecution Seeks Death Penalty for Female Activist | publisher = Human Rights Watch | date = 21 August 2018 | url = https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/08/21/saudi-prosecution-seeks-death-penalty-female-activist | accessdate = 23 August 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180823061322/https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/08/21/saudi-prosecution-seeks-death-penalty-female-activist |archive-date= 23 August 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite news | title= Saudi court jails rights activist over tweets | date= 28 February 2018 | publisher= Thomson Reuters | url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-rights/saudi-court-jails-rights-activist-over-tweets-idUSKCN1GC2QK |accessdate=28 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028202409/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-rights/saudi-court-jails-rights-activist-over-tweets-idUSKCN1GC2QK |archive-date= 28 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite news | last1= Dadouch | first1= Sarah | last2= Paul | first2= Katie | last3= Oziel | first3= Clelia | title= Long Robes Not Necessary Attire for Saudi Women: Senior Cleric | date= 10 February 2018 | publisher= US News | url= https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-02-10/long-robes-not-necessary-attire-for-saudi-women-senior-cleric |accessdate=28 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028202605/https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-02-10/long-robes-not-necessary-attire-for-saudi-women-senior-cleric |archive-date= 28 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite journal|last=Kapiszewski|first=Andrzej|title=Saudi Arabia : Steps Toward Democratization or Reconfiguration of Authoritarianism?|journal=Journal of Asian and African Studies|year=2006|volume=41|issue=5–6|pages=459–482|doi=10.1177/0021909606067407|s2cid=144162867}}

{{cite news | title= Saudi Arabia criminalises online satire that 'disrupts public order' | publisher= The Telegraph/Agence France Presse | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/05/saudi-arabia-criminalises-online-satire/ |accessdate=28 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028202756/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/05/saudi-arabia-criminalises-online-satire/ |archive-date= 28 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite news | language = fr | title= En Arabie saoudite, des employées de maison sont vendues sur Internet | trans-title= In Saudi Arabia, domestic workers are sold on the Internet | date= 13 March 2018 | publisher= France 24 | url= http://observers.france24.com/fr/20180313-arabie-saoudite-employees-maison-sont-mises-encheres-internet |accessdate=29 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028210406/http://observers.france24.com/fr/20180313-arabie-saoudite-employees-maison-sont-mises-encheres-internet |archive-date= 28 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite news | title= Alqst and Over 160 groups call for accountability following murder of journalist and widespread arrest of women's rights defenders | date= 26 October 2018 | publisher= ALQST | url= https://alqst.org/eng/over-160-groups-call-for-accountability-following-murder-of-journalist-and-widespread-arrest-of-womens-rights-defenders/ |accessdate=28 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028231142/https://alqst.org/eng/over-160-groups-call-for-accountability-following-murder-of-journalist-and-widespread-arrest-of-womens-rights-defenders/ |archive-date= 28 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite news | title= Saudi Arabia must immediately free women human rights defenders held in crackdown, say UN experts | date= 27 June 2018 | publisher= Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | url= https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23270&LangID=E |accessdate=28 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028233647/https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23270&LangID=E |archive-date= 28 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite web | last1 = von Hein | first1 =Matthias | title =Is Saudi Arabia waging war on its Shiite minority? | publisher = Deutsche Welle | date = 10 August 2017 | url = https://www.dw.com/en/is-saudi-arabia-waging-war-on-its-shiite-minority/a-40045513 | accessdate = 25 August 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180825041303/https://www.dw.com/en/is-saudi-arabia-waging-war-on-its-shiite-minority/a-40045513 |archive-date= 25 August 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{cite web | last1 = Brennan | first1 = David | title = Who Is Israa al-Ghomgham? Female Saudi Activist May Be Beheaded After Death Sentence | publisher = Newsweek | date = 21 August 2018 | url = https://www.newsweek.com/who-israa-al-ghomgham-female-saudi-activist-may-be-beheaded-after-death-1083499 | accessdate = 24 August 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180821173303/https://www.newsweek.com/who-israa-al-ghomgham-female-saudi-activist-may-be-beheaded-after-death-1083499 | archive-date = 21 August 2018 | url-status=live | df = dmy-all }}

{{cite web | title = Human rights under King Salman and his son Crown Prince Mohammad | publisher = ALQST | date = 2018-12-24 | url = https://alqst.org/eng/human-rights-under-king-salman | accessdate = 2019-01-13 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190112233211/https://alqst.org/eng/human-rights-under-king-salman/ |archive-date= 2019-01-12 |url-status=live}}

{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/04/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-waleed-bin-talal.html |title= Saudi Arabia Arrests 11 Princes, Including Billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal |author= David Kirkpatrick |date= 4 November 2017 |work= The New York Times |accessdate= 5 November 2017 |author-link= David D. Kirkpatrick }}

{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/world/middleeast/ritz-carlton-riyadh-saudi-princes.html|title=Ritz-Carlton Has Become a Gilded Cage for Saudi Royals|first=Nicholas|last=Kulish|date=6 November 2017|newspaper=New York Times}}

{{cite web | title = ALQST Confirms New Details of Torture of Saudi Women Activists as British MPs Seek Access to Prisons to Investigate | publisher = ALQST | date = 2019-01-03 | url = https://alqst.org/eng/confirms-new-details-of-torture-of-saudi-women-activists-as-british-mps-seek-access-to-prisons-to-investigate/ | accessdate = 2019-01-12 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190112223002/https://alqst.org/eng/confirms-new-details-of-torture-of-saudi-women-activists-as-british-mps-seek-access-to-prisons-to-investigate/ |archive-date= 2019-01-12 |url-status=live}}

{{cite web |title=Saudi Arabia: Reports of torture and sexual harassment of detained activists |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/11/saudi-arabia-reports-of-torture-and-sexual-harassment-of-detained-activists/ |website=www.amnesty.org |date=20 November 2018 |publisher=Amnesty International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113154234/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/11/saudi-arabia-reports-of-torture-and-sexual-harassment-of-detained-activists/ |archive-date=2019-01-13 |url-status=live |accessdate=21 November 2018 |language=en}}

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