A Saudi rights group has condemned their country's judiciary for giving death sentences to three men who opposed evictions from land where the NEOM megacity is being built.

The three men sentenced to death last Sunday, all from the al-Howeiti tribe, were detained in 2020 for opposing the evictions in northwestern Saudi Arabia to make way for the $500 billion project, human rights organisation ALQST said Thursday.

"We condemn the sentences and call for their immediate and unconditional release," ALQST said of the sentencing of the three men...

The NEOM megaproject is being funded by the Saudi sovereign wealth vehicle, the Public Investment Fund...

However, the project has raised a host of concerns over the displacement of the area's residents, as well as the harmful impact it could have on local flora and fauna.

The Saudi kingdom severely punishes citizens who dare to express public criticism of the government.