CDHR Commends the Spanish Minister of Justice
The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR), commends the Spanish Minister of Justice, Mr. Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, for taking a stand against gender discrimination in Saudi Arabia. During an official visit to Saudi Arabia last month, Mr. Aguilar was invited to speak at Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University. When the Minister learned that female journalists traveling with him would not be allowed to enter the university, he refused to speak at the event, giving the text of his comments to University officials instead. CDHR strongly encourages representatives of other nations to follow the Spanish government’s courageous stand against the Saudi government’s segregationist and discriminatory policies.
Continued exposure from the international community of the Saudi government’s discriminatory policies and practices toward women will help create a public debate that is essential to the empowerment of Saudi women and their right to full citizenship. Currently, women cannot legally vote, drive, study certain scientific subjects in school, or work in many fields, including law. Consequently, less than ten percent of Saudi women are a part of the national workforce despite being the majority of college graduates. This severe gender segregation prevents the exchange of ideas between men and women, hinders the development of social harmony and denies Saudi society the intellectual and economic contributions of half its citizens.
CDHR promotes greater participation of women in Saudi Arabia in order to double the productive elements of Saudi society, expand the intellectual horizons of all its residents, and tilt the balance in favor of tolerant policies that accept all citizens regardless of gender, ethnicity, or religion. CDHR encourages the international community to follow the Spanish Minister of Justice’s example in his promotion of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.
The full text of CDHR’s letter to Mr. Aguilar:
Mr. Juan Fernando López Aguilar
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
San Bernardo, 45 28015 Madrid
Dear Mr. López Aguilar:
We at the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia applaud you in canceling your January talk at the University Imam of Riyadh after the university’s authorities banned four women journalists from participating in the event. Your actions send a clear and important message to the Saudi government, its people, and the international community that Saudi Arabia’s discriminatory policies and practices will not be tolerated.
Thank you for your support of human rights and democracy in Saudi Arabia. We invite you to join our network of leaders concerned about Saudi Arabia. Together, we can assist the Saudi people in their return to freedom.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ali Alyami
Executive Director