RELEASE: Rep. Khanna leads letter urging Secretary Pompeo to condemn arrests of women’s rights advocates in Saudi Arabia

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ro Khanna lead a letter, signed by more than thirty Members of Congress, to Secretary of State Pompeo to urge an unequivocal condemnation of the crackdown on women's rights advocates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and publicly call for their immediate and unconditional release.

The letter highlights the case of Samar Badawi, one of many victims of Saudi repression of human rights activists. A winner of the Department of State's International Women of Courage Award in 2012, Ms. Badawi is a leading advocate for women's suffrage, women's right to drive, and other fundamental rights. Late last month, she was arrested and imprisoned as part of a broad crackdown on human rights advocates. Ms. Badawi is just one of hundreds who have been jailed by the Saudi regime for exercising their rights to free speech, calling for a democratic reform, and defending other basic human rights.

Recently, Canadian officials tweeted a call for the Saudis to release imprisoned women's rights activists, including Ms. Badawi. The Saudis retaliated by expelling the Canadian ambassador and freezing all new trade with Canada. They also ordered approximately 16,000 Saudis studying in Canada and all Saudi patients receiving Canadian healthcare to depart the country. Finally, the Saudi central bank and state pension funds ordered overseas asset managers to sell their Canadian holdings. The Saudis have refused mediation to resolve the dispute, insisting that Canada is exclusively to blame.

The letter expresses concern over the Department of State's refusal to publicly condemn the arrests, urges them to deploy all diplomatic tools to secure the release of Ms. Badawi and all imprisoned human rights advocates, and requests support for our ally and neighbor Canada. It notes that U.S. approval for weapons sales should be contingent on meaningful improvement in Saudi Arabia's human rights record.

"The Saudis' economic and diplomatic blackmail against our neighbor and NATO ally Canada is unacceptable and further strengthens our resolve to defend heroic Saudi women's rights campaigners. As the primary supplier of weapons to their regime, the government of the United States has a right—and a duty—to demand urgent progress on human rights," said Rep. Khanna.

"How does wanting to drive threaten national security? Samar Badawi and other courageous Saudi women who stand up for their rights should be celebrated — but instead they have been thrown in jail," said Rep. McGovern. "Saudi Arabia's cruel and unnecessary treatment of women who fight for their human rights is backwards and wrong. Samar and her colleagues should be released immediately and without conditions."

"The United States has a long history of speaking up for human rights and for those unjustly imprisoned for practicing these rights. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration has too often stayed silent on this issue, failing to defend core American values," said Rep. Gwen Moore. "Today, I join my colleagues in pressing the Department of State to use all the tools at its disposal to secure the release of courageous women like Ms. Badawi and her fellow human rights advocates who have been jailed by the government of Saudi Arabia for exercising their right to free speech."

"Samar Badawi is just one of countless women across Saudi Arabia fighting for their rights – to vote, to drive, to live with freedom. Imprisoning Badawi for her outspoken and fearless advocacy is wrong and counterproductive," said Rep. Barbara Lee. "The United States must condemn this cruelty and violation of justice. I urge Secretary Pompeo to take a stand for women's rights across the globe and use all diplomatic means necessary to free Samar Badawi and other imprisoned human rights advocates in Saudi Arabia."

The letter from progressive Democrats comes on the heels of a bipartisan House Foreign Affairs Committee letter which also slams the Kingdom over the arrests of women's rights activists, demonstrating a broad consensus in Congress on this issue.

The full text of the letter is embedded below and a PDF copy is available here. Watch more from Rep. Ro Khanna here.

Dear Secretary Pompeo,

We write to express our grave concern over the imprisonment of civil society and women's rights activists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and call for their immediate release. We are particularly dismayed by the jailing of Samar Badawi, a recipient of the International Women of Courage Award by the US Department of State in 2012. We strongly echo the calls by the government of Canada, as well as many human rights organizations including Amnesty international and Human Rights Watch, for the unconditional release of Ms. Badawi and all those imprisoned for demanding their fundamental human rights. We are dismayed at the economic and diplomatic retaliation leveled by Saudi Arabia at Canada for expressing these concerns and urge the Administration to come to the defense of our NATO ally.

As you may know, Ms. Badawi has a long record of heroic advocacy for women's rights, which she pursues at great personal risk. She is a leading advocate for women's suffrage in the country, and filed an unprecedented lawsuit in 2011 to challenge the legal basis for denying her right to register to vote. She was a leader in the campaign to grant women the right to drive by legally contesting the basis for the rejection of her license application. In 2014, the Saudi regime barred her from traveling internationally. Late last month, she was arrested and imprisoned as part of a broad crackdown on human rights advocates. Ms. Badawi's imprisonment does not come in a vacuum -- she is just one of hundreds who have been jailed by the Saudi regime for exercising their rights to free speech, calling for a democratic reform, and defending other basic human rights.

While we appreciate the State Department position that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should "address and respect due process and also publicize information on some of its legal cases," a mild statement is insufficient to address this serious issue. We are troubled by the State Department's refusal to condemn the arrest of Ms. Badawi during the August 7 press briefing. We urge you to uphold our nation's fundamental values and stand with Canada to deploy all diplomatic tools at your disposal to secure the release of Ms. Badawi and all imprisoned human rights advocates.

As Ranking Member Robert Menendez of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee concluded, "Human rights are not just a nice gesture, they're absolutely crucial to peace, justice, and the spread of democracy, and therefore stability around the world." Congress exercises oversight over U.S. security assistance to Saudi Arabia and we echo Senator Menendez's concern that "the American public has a right to insist that the sales of U.S. weapons to foreign governments...are consistent with U.S. values and national security objectives."

We thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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About the Office

Congressman Khanna represents the 17th District of California, which covers communities in Silicon Valley. Visit his website at khanna.house.gov. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter @RepRoKhanna.

Press Office: 202-225-2631