Three tribesmen have been sentenced to death for refusing to leave their homes and make way for a £450billion Saudi mega-city.
Shadli, Ataullah and Ibrahim al-Huwaiti are members of the Huwaitat tribe that has been forcibly ejected to make way for Neom, a planned mega city.
But the three men opposed their people's unjust eviction and were arrested in 2020.
However now, according to UK-based rights group Alqst, Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court - a court to handle terrorist cases - has handed down death sentences to each one of them on October 2.
In a tweet the rights group said: “The family members were detained in 2020 for opposing eviction to make way for #Neom.
“We condemn the sentences and call for their release.”
Alqst’s Abdullah Aljuraywi added: "These shocking sentences once again show the Saudi authorities' callous disregard for human rights, and the cruel measures they are prepared to take to punish members of the Huwaitat tribe for legitimately protesting against forced eviction".
In April 2020, Shadli’s brother Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti was shot dead in his own home after he posted videos on social media opposing the forcible removal of his tribe.
The charity also claimed that after going on hunger strike, Shadli had a tube forcibly inserted into his stomach to feed him.
The Huwaitat tribe claim that the authorities have recently stepped up their campaign to clear the land for the mega-city - which is due to hold the 2029 Asian Winter Games.
Two family members of the the three men, Abdulilah and Abdullah Dukhail, were slapped with 50 year prison sentences and 50 year travel bans for supporting their relatives.
Neom, the planned city, is the flagship project of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A planned city-state that would cover over 10,000 square miles of the country’s Tabuk province, near its borders with Jordan and Egypt.
The country has made a number of bold claims about the city and its website shows a number of concept and mocked up pictures showing a futuristic city whilst boasting things like "work-life balance" and "legacy free urbanism".
It is being funded by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) where the Crown Prince sits as chairman.
The PIF also own 80 per cent of Newcastle United.
The city, aiming to be a tech hub, claims to be an “accelerator of human progress” but it isn’t clear how sentences like those the three men received reflect that.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has overseen a crackdown on dissent that has seen an increase in such oppressive behaviour.
The Saudi government has repeatedly handed out oppressive and harsh sentences.
Leeds University student and mum-of-two Salma al-Shebab was jailed for 34 years for tweeting criticism of the Saudi Arabian government.
Similarly, mum-of-five Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani was sentenced to 45 years.
