On Wednesday, 12/23/1436 AH, the British Delegation has visited the National Society for Human Rights. The delegation includes both: Ms. Heidi Minshall, Principal Research Analyst, and Mr. Nicholas Alton, Deputy Head, and Ms.  Nicolas Wodjt, Ambassador Advisor. At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency the Chairman of the Society has given the visiting delegation a brief explanation on the activities of the Society and its contribution in spreading the human rights culture, as well as highlighting the work of its branches and their role in spreading the culture of human rights in the Kingdom. They have also shed light on how the Society monitors the municipal elections in accordance with international standards and on how the municipal elections represent the involvement and participation of citizens in the public life in the country.

In addition, they have talked about the double standards adopted by some Western countries. To illustrate, they gave great interest to some individual issues where people who may have committed crimes were sentenced to death for what they had done in the Kingdom, and not giving the same attention or reaction when horrible crimes and terrible abuses of human rights occurred from some countries as in the case of Israeli violations of Palestinian rights and the suffering of the Syrian people from the crimes and oppression at the hands of the regime.

Besides, His Excellency the Chairman of the Society has made a clear understanding on the death penalty in Saudi Arabia which is based on the provisions of the Islamic Sharia. He has also pointed out that the State seeks with the parents, in such cases, to provide amnesty to the execution of the sentence and he adds saying that such penalty is only applied on major crimes and that is allowed by some international conventions. Furthermore, the Chairman of the Society has stressed that the approach of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is based on moderation and concern for human rights issues. The meeting was attended by the Secretary-General of the Society, Mr. Khalid Abdurrahman Al-Fakhri, and the Secretary of the Chairman, Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al-Mahmoud.