World Expo 2030 organisers urged to drop Saudi Arabia as potential host,
A dozen rights groups have urged World Expo 2030 organisers to drop Saudi Arabia as a potential host, saying the kingdom’s “abysmal” human rights record risks tainting the event.
In a letter sent to the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) on Tuesday, the organisations pointed to Saudi Arabia’s continued use of the death penalty, silencing of women’s rights advocates and targeting of dissidents abroad among a list of concerns.
“It is crucial that you recognise this as another attempt to whitewash the Saudi leadership’s past abuses and ongoing repression,” the letter says.
The kingdom is among four front runners, including South Korea, Italy and Ukraine, to host the World Expo in 2030...
the rights groups say - like in its hosting of major sporting and entertainment events - the expo would be an attempt to distract from the Saudi leadership’s rights violations which “show no signs of decreasing and are not likely to cease with empty promises of change, innovation and mega development projects"...
If Saudi’s candidacy goes through and, worse, it ends up hosting the World Expo 2030, it will simply mean that the world is glossing over Saudi Arabia’s appalling record. Saudi Arabia’s actions completely contradict the spirit of the World Expo.Zeinab Fayad, communications officer at the Geneva-based MENA Rights Group
Middle East Eye has sought comments from BIE and the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.