Saudi Arabia will host its first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix on December 5, 2021. A new circuit has just been completed in the coastal city of Jeddah, where thousands of fans will gather to watch the action.
Despite pleas from those hurt the most by Saudi abuses, like the fiancée of the man who ordered the murder of the journalist, David Guetta will provide entertainment.
Saudi Arabia has hosted a number of high-profile sporting events, including car rallies, golf tournaments, and boxing matches. Saudi Arabia's acquisition of 80% of the English Premier League's Newcastle United Football Club using over US$409 million from the kingdom's wealth fund created intense controversy.
The agenda launched by the kingdom's defacto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is called "Vision 2030." The kingdom has been investing in sports and entertainment in order to attract foreign investment.
The crown prince is in Riyadh.
The Saudi Royal Council.
The aim is to convince the youth of Saudi Arabia that their generation has a bright future. A few weeks ago, hundreds of thousands gathered in the capital for the opening parade of "Riyadh Season," a five-month cultural festival aiming to boost tourism, which featured the American rapper Pitbull.
It wants viewers to ignore the grim realities of life in the kingdom, in an effort to whitewash the international image of Saudi Arabia, which was damaged by the murder of the journalist.
The murder of the journalist was not the only event. There has been an intensive campaign against all forms of dissent, including widescale arbitrary arrests, the brutal torture of women's rights activists, unfair trials, and the targeting of dissidents abroad.
Young Saudis like me are leaving the country to seek asylum abroad because of the relentless oppression.
If we want to breathe freely and have our voices heard, we must leave our homeland, a place where peaceful use of social media can lead to arrest and lengthy prison sentences. When we have soaring youth unemployment and no freedom of expression, what use are motor races and pop concerts?
The F1 Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia will not be free of human-rights abuses. Drivers will be racing on tracks built by migrant workers who are often mistreated under the country's kafala sponsorship system.
A demonstrator is outside of the Saudi Embassy.
Jim Watson is a photographer.
The track is close to Dhahban, a notorious political prison in Saudi Arabia. Musa al-Qarni was murdered in October with injuries to his skull. His death highlighted the terrible abuse and torture suffered by prisoners of conscience in Saudi jails.
Dhahban is where the award-winning human-rights defender Waleed Abu al-Khair is held, and women's rights activists like Samar Badawi were imprisoned until earlier this year. Although they have been released, the women are still subject to strict restrictions such as travel, work and social media bans, which are used to silence their activism.
Lewis Hamilton, the most successful driver in Formula 1, spoke out ahead of the Grand Prix in Jeddah to voice concern and urge "scrutiny" over Saudi abuses. Several NGOs urged Hamilton to reconsider his participation and make a stand for human rights.
Ahead of the Formula 1 race this weekend, more leaders in sport, in government and from the general public must speak out to ensure that Saudi Arabia cannot use the event to whitewash its abysmal human-rights record.
There is no freedom of speech or thought in places like my country where the F1 Grand Prix is being held. The presence of them distracts attention from the crimes.
Since it is now going ahead, all those involved, from fans to drivers to sponsors and entertainers, should use whatever leverage they have to speak out about the grim human rights situation in my country, for the sake of a better future for my generation.
A Saudi activist and director of communications for a UK-based human rights organization.
