Families have been offered pittances of $3,000 to relocate, and perhaps one out of every 30 families have accepted. The Biden administration should demand that Riyadh call off any executions and offer transparency about how it has dealt with the Huwaitat generally. A $10bn King Abdullah financial district in Riyadh, intended as a special zone, has sputtered since its inception in 2006, weathering construction delays and confusion over its purpose, even after government attempts at a relaunch in 2016. [52] Two years later, Neom became the title sponsor for McLaren Racing's electric motorsport division as NEOM McLaren Electric Racing starting with the 202223 season, with McLaren's Formula E and Extreme E divisions renamed as NEOM McLaren Formula E Team and NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team respectively. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has dreams for a $700 [47][46] 9 hole golf course overlooking the sea was constructed in 2023. Organisations such as the MENA Rights Group and ALQST have since urged the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions to investigate al Huwaitis killing. Vincent Mosco, a researcher into the social impacts of technology, stated that "the surveillance concerns are justified" while further adding that "it is, in effect, a surveillance city. Saudi Arabia Sentences 3 Men to Death For Refusing to Vacate - VICE Prominent tribe members including seven of Abdul Rahim Ahmad Mahmoud al-Hwaitis cousins were allegedly abducted and imprisoned incommunicado in the months preceding al-Hwaitis death. The public relations team for Neom, as well as executives from the management consulting firm Teneo, hired by Saudi authorities for more than $2m last year to represent the project, did not return requests for comment. For more information, please see our Neom - Wikipedia So too have rights groups. They say you have to accept the deal and if you dont were going to kick you out and you wont get a penny. comments from Neom", "Saudi prince's flagship plan beset by doubts after Khashoggi death | ", "Top tech execs will help Saudi Arabia build its mega city of the future", "Khashoggi killing derails Bin Salman's flagship project", "FEATURE-Saudi 'surveillance city': Would you sell your data to The Line? Neom (styled NEOM; Arabic: , romanized: Niym, Hejazi pronunciation: [njom]) is a new urban area planned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be built in its northwestern Tabuk Province.The site is north of the Red Sea, east of Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba and south of Jordan.The total planned area of Neom is 26,500 km 2 (10,200 sq mi). He also refused to vacate his home and rejected state compensation. Saudis have said those who leave voluntarily are . On April 13, Abdul Rahim Al Huwaiti was executed after protesting against the forced eviction of his village to build the @NEOM megacity.With @ALQST_En, we have raised his case with UN expert @AgnesCallamard, requesting an investigation into his death.https://t.co/bACm8xaXFC. The three men who Alqst says were sentenced to death are the cousins of Alya al-Howeiti, a UK-based member of the tribe who leads the Justice for Neom Victims campaign and founder of the recently launched Arab Independent Opposition League. But Ali Shihabi, a member of the Neom advisory board, told the Guardian that the displaced members of the tribe would be compensated. If you want to proceed select "Proceed to external link" else Press "Cancel". Other futuristic features could include an artificial moon, robots to do housework and state-of-the-art electronic surveillance to ensure security. The first three letters form the Ancient Greek prefix Neo- meaning "new". They have begun the process of removing people, beginning with surveying homes with the intent of removing people and deporting them from their land, he said, referring to the security forces in his town. The city's plans include multiple regions, including a floating industrial complex, global trade hub, tourist resorts and a linear city powered by renewable energy sources. Human rights . "Civilized" governments don't force them directly, instead, they use sleazy tactics to pressure on them to leave. On 3 March 2022, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman launched the Trojena project, which will be the first major outdoor skiing destination in the Arabian Peninsula. Ali Shihabi, a former banker now on Neom's advisory board, says the mega-territory will include a 170km (105m) long city, called The Line, which will run in a straight line through the desert. Dixon said UN action could change the tribes fortunes. Thats how I do my projects. History Formation. The Saudi authorities have said little about the alleged evictions, but the security forces said that Abdul Rahim Al-Huwaiti was killed after he opened fire on security forces, forcing them to retaliate. In another recent example, video game tournament organiser, RFRSH Entertainment, was criticised by leading industry figures for its partnership with NEOM. "[69] Anthony Harris, a former director of innovation at Neom's education team, accused the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman of fostering a faulty workplace culture since "Nadhmi takes his cue from his boss, and everyone else at Neom takes their cue from Nadhmi. [54], In March 2021, Neom signed a four-year global sponsorship agreement with the Asian Football Confederation. The death of Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti on 13 April highlighted the tension between the tribe and the kingdoms development plans. According to the Saudi rights group Al Qst, the authorities have since worked to cover up Abdul Rahims killing and placate the tribe. They dont care about our lives.. Saudi Arabias al-Huwaitat tribe has sent an urgent communication to the United Nations calling for an investigation into allegations of forced displacement and abuse by Saudi authorities. Tom Ravenscroft | 17 October 2022 Leave a comment. Members of the 20,000 strong community have been resisting Saudi attempts to force them out of the area designated for the $500 billion mega-project. Leaders of the tribe are now appealing to the UN for help to stop Saudi Arabias attempts to displace them. The Saudi authorities aimed behind this campaign to terrorize the people and pressure them to expel them and impose unfair financial compensation. It is located around 25 kilometres (16mi) north of the town of Duba, and covers roughly 200250 square kilometres (7797sqmi) of land, of which approximately 40 square kilometres (15sqmi) forms the city. After two weeks, authorities at the Dhahban Prison in Jeddah - the same facility where women's rights activists say they were sexually harassed and tortured in 2018 - inserted a tube into his stomach to force-feed him, a form of torture, Alqst said on Monday. [28], In June 2019, it was announced that the Neom Bay Airport would begin commercial flight traffic after the first phase of the airport was completed with a runway length of 3,757m (12,326ft). [36], On December 16, 2022, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones and Neom signed a memorandum of Understanding to facilitate collaboration and legislation in support of Neom's Future Factories Program.[37]. But like many dreams of utopia, it has already become a dystopian nightmare for those caught in its glare. Discover the destinations you can travel with SAUDIA, Services for travelers with special needs, The General Authority Of Civil Aviation (GACA). With an artificial moon and flying taxis, Neom has been billed as humanitys next chapter. your session is about to End please extend your session so you don't lose any data, Your session has ended , please reload the page. Neom: Saudi Arabia jails nearly 50 tribespeople for resisting Saudis have said those who leave voluntarily are compensated, but human rights groups charge that the government has dealt harshly with some who have protested. The three members of the Howeitat tribe were given death sentences by Saudi Arabia's special courts on the 2nd of October. [72], The Line, a smart city housed within Neom to be designed with the help of artificial intelligence, announced plans to use data as a currency to manage and provide facilities such as power, waste, water, healthcare, transport and security. Others from Khuraibat recorded videos of gunfire from outside his house. It shows the lack of platforms people have to express their opinions, even on less contentious matters than civil or political rights, he says. While a number of tech giants and Western consultancies initially latched on to the project drawn by the lucrative windfalls but the crown princes brand has taken a beating over his human rights abuses since. It is a pet project of Saudi Arabias de facto ruler: a vast new $500bn (385bn) hi-tech city that is supposed to attract foreign investment and jumpstart the kingdoms non-oil economy. Visitors stand next to a drone taxi during an exhibition on Neom in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia: tribesmen jailed for refusing NEOM displacement [34] The plans for the complex include a desalination plant, a hydrogen plant and an oceanographic research center. The atmosphere in general is so terrifying and so scary.. [66], In October 2022, Neom was announced as the host of the 2029 Asian Winter Games, a decision that received criticism concerning its adverse environmental impact. Terms & Conditions. They are hoping to pull off a major publicity stunt by getting prominent figures among the Huwaitat to publicly disown Abdul Rahim and renew their allegiance to the king, said the group. [16], The initiative to create the city of Neom emerged from Saudi Vision 2030, a plan to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its economy and develop public-service sectors. Although it is in the desert, the site's climate is considerably cooler than is the rest of Neom's territory. One piece of footage showed him confronting a Saudi official who visited the town to speak with residents. But not for the original people living there.. Ibrahim al-Howeiti, Alqst said, was a member of a delegation of local residents who met in 2020 with the official commission charged with securing government titles to the lands required for the project. The indiscriminate application of capital punishment, including against children, non-violent offenders and people exercising their right to free speech, is starkly at odds with the image Mohammed bin Salman's regime seeks to project to the world.". When they started Neom in the beginning of 2016, Mohammed bin Salman promised them to be part of it and share in the development and improvement of the area, says Alya Alhwaiti, a London-based activist who is a spokesperson for the tribe. This is typical of the way Mohammed Bin Salman operates.. [4] Saudi Arabia originally aimed to complete major parts of the project by 2020, with an expansion completed in 2025, but then fell behind schedule. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The futuristic desert city being built in north-west Saudi Arabia will cover an area larger than Belgium. not only vast sums but also his own prestige, D.C. Council voted on Tuesday to stop pulling police officers out of schools, Read our recent editorial on why D.C. needs SROs. UK spent 2.4m to help Saudi Arabia comply with international law, UK urged to boycott G20 over Saudi Arabias plans to displace Bedouin tribe, A million Saudi people forcibly displaced in Jeddah to give way for bin Salman projects, Jeddahs destruction, a step in the westernization of Saudi Arabia, Demands to Impose Sanctions on Saudi Minister Involved in Torture Violations, HRW: UKs Invitation to Mohammed bin Salman Endorses Repression, News Sudan Crisis Turns into Proxy War Between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, New Forced Displacement in Saudi Arabia by Converting Nature Reserves into Private PropertyNew Forced Displacement in Saudi Arabia by Converting Nature Reserves into Private Property, Systematic Government Use and Complete Disregard for Torture in Saudi Arabia. Neom - Three members of the Huwaitat tribe, which inhabits the desert area in north-western Saudi Arabia where the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's $500bn (400bn) futuristic megacity is under . Whats happening there is certainly a violation of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, he told Al Jazeera. I would not be surprised if they come to kill me in my house now, and place a weapon next to me, he added. Saudi 'surveillance city': Would you sell your data to 'The Line'? Even though construction of the project has slowed because of the global economic meltdown, Saudi authorities continue to evict the Huwaitat tribe from their land, which includes 13 villages along the Red Sea. The project is one of the cornerstones of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salmans Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to reinvigorate and diversify the Saudi economy. Al-Hwaitis killing made news across the world. Bin Salman imposes a tightening siege on the Al-Hawitat tribe, forcing them to leave homes. We urge all companies involved, including foreign investors, to ensure that they are not causing or contributing to, and are not directly linked to serious human rights abuses, they said. What we want is for the world to support us in our case, to show them how the Mohammed bin Salman regime is abusing the people, terrifying the people, Alya Alhwaiti said. This was accompanied by the arrest of eight members of the tribe. READ: UK spent 2.4m to help Saudi Arabia comply with international law. At the beginning of the project, the government told the al-Huwaitat tribe that they would be involved in NEOMs development and that their area would become one of the most famous in the world. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, New $500bn Neom city-state pits countrys future against its past, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Advertising materials stressed Neom will be built on virgin land, ready to be conquered with futuristic technology. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The three men join a growing list of Saudi Arabians who have been handed extreme sentences since August. The Huwaitat, a tribe that includes branches in Jordan, Egypt and Palestine as well as Saudi Arabia, are among the most brutalised. "These recent rulings signal a new phase of flagrant human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, especially since the visit of US President Joe Biden in July. Its a virgin area that has a lot of beauty, says the voice over a string section soundtrack as the promotional video tracks colour-tinted panoramic shots of picturesque desert expanses, and deep azure lagoons. Death sentences for men who refused to make way for Neom [77], Some of the illustrations for the Neom project were taken from the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, leaving commentators to note that "using an actual shot of Singapore to depict an upcoming construction project in Saudi Arabia is an odd choice."[78][79]. New $500bn Neom city-state pits country's future against its past It is supposed to be a techno-utopia where robots are just as big a presence in society as actual people. However, Neom issued a written statement in defense of Nasr and the management culture at the megaproject, asserting that Neom represented "a scale and ambition the world has never seen before" and that it continued to retain and attract more talent because "employees are passionate about what they do and deeply committed to living up to, and delivering on, the Neom vision. It is gratuitous, and needless threats are being used in order to build this big city., Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. [2] It was launched by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. [59], It is estimated that 20,000 people will be forced to relocate to accommodate the planned city. Alya Alhwaiti said the tribe is united in its defiance and are staying in their homes despite being terrified about what Saudi security forces may do to them. One of the Saudi Arabian men sentenced to death this month for resisting their tribe's displacement over the Neom megaproject was tortured in prison, a UK-based rights group has reported. 'These shocking sentences once again show the Saudi authorities' callous disregard for human rights'. If it was not for the publicity, there would be a dozen Abdul Rahim [al-Hwaiti] cases by now, she said. Enter the promotion code and book your flight. Saudi military forces imposed a strict military siege on the Al-Hawitat tribe, expelling them from their lands to build the NEOM project. ", "MBS's $500 Billion Desert Dream Just Keeps Getting Weirder", "Saudi Arabia Just Announced Plans to Build a Mega City That Will Cost $500 Billion", "Saudis set $500 billion plan to develop zone linked with Jordan and Egypt", "NEOM: A new channel for Egyptian-Saudi cooperation", "Klaus Kleinfeld named adviser to Saudi crown prince, NEOM appoints new CEO", "Saudi Arabia Reveals NEOM, its Planned Futuristic Megacity", "Saudi Arabia's new city, Neom, a mecca for robots", "Saudi Arabia's Neom Seeks $2.7 Billion Loan to Build Futuristic City", "Saudi Crown Prince MBS has strongly dismissed the critics of his ambitious $1 trillion'The Line' megacity. There is an inconvenience, of course: The people who live on the future site of Neom, and who like inhabitants of previous places upon which authoritarians have imposed grandiose building plans must be relocated. Privacy Policy. Any company wishing to partner with the Saudis on the NEOM project therefore faces the prospect of backlash. ENOWA is a subsidiary company of NEOM that will develop sustainable energy and water systems in the city. [16] In 2018, Kleinfeld signed Gladstone Place Partners LLC to handle communications services for the Neom project for a fee of $199,500 plus expenses of $45,000. Last April, one member of the tribe, Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti, was killed in an encounter with Saudi authorities after he refused to be relocated. MBS [Mohammad Bin Salman] began by telling the tribes: We will develop your area, you will make money. They believed him at first. In mid-April 2020, a Saudi security force killed Abdul Rahim Al-Huwaitat, who refused to leave his fathers and grandparents home. [33] Mohammed bin Salman expects Oxagon to become "a new focal point for global trade flows" and service shipping routes through the Red Sea. Two years after Saudi goons loyal to the crown prince kidnapped, tortured, murdered and dismembered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, repression in the kingdom is as severe as ever. Al-Hwaiti was a vocal online presence who had denounced the NEOM project on numerous occasions. Saudi Arabia has handed a 50-year prison term and a 50-year travel ban to two members of the Huwaitat, a large nomadic Bedouin tribe which lives on both sides of the . The site is north of the Red Sea, east of Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba and south of Jordan. [19] Plans call for robots to perform functions such as security, logistics, home delivery and caregiving[20] and for the city to be powered solely with wind and solar power. However, it seems you are browsing the site while located in {UserCountry} Saudi activist Alia Al-Huwaiti revealed that bin Salman imposed a siege on the people of her tribe and isolated them from the world. Some 20,000 al-Huwaitat tribe members face eviction to make way for the project. A US-based human rights organisation, the Freedom Initiative has also claimed that a third Huwaiti member was handed a 23-year sentence for tweets about rising prices and the displacement of her tribespeople. There are plans for robot maids, robot MMA fighters, an island with robot dinosaurs, and an artificial moon with giant screens that will broadcast images of the cosmos, replacing the stars outshone by the neon lights of NEOM - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans ambitious (to say the least) planned futuristic city on the corner of the Red Sea. Jinns and glass palaces: how Saudi's dystopian desert city borders on the occult. [24] The car-free city is planned to be large enough to house nine million residents within walkable communities, with all basic services within a five-minute walking distance. Saudi Arabia's al-Huwaitat tribe has sent an urgent communication to the United Nations calling for an investigation into allegations of forced displacement and abuse by Saudi authorities. [48][49], A subsidiary, Enowa, has been founded to provide renewable energy, green hydrogen, and zero waste desalination. [61] al-Huwaiti's funeral was held near the village of al-Khoraibah and was well attended despite the presence of Saudi security forces.

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