Saudi’s King Abdullah fired Prince Mish’al bin Sa’ud, governor of Najran, after Human Rights Watch issued a report in September on the governor’s discriminatory treatment of the Ismaili Shia minority in Najran. Human Rights Watch conducted research documenting a pattern of discrimination against the Ismailis in government employment, education, religious freedom, and the justice system. We sent the governor a letter detailing our findings and later publicized them in the international media. We were unique among international human rights groups in highlighting the Ismaili issue. Since the appointment of Prince Mish’al as governor in 1996, tension between local authorities and the Ismaili population had increased, culminating in a confrontation between armed Ismaili demonstrators and police and army units in the city of Najran in April 2001. The ensuing crackdown intensified the Ismailis’ feeling that their distinct ethnic and religious identity had come under siege. Human Rights Watch continues to investigate the treatment of religious minorities and for all Saudis who face restrictions on basic freedoms.
Read more: https://www.hrw.org/en/middle-eastn-africa/saudi-arabia
