Reform in Saudi Arabia: The Road Not Taken
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Saudi Sheikh Salman Awdah, a popular but controversial religious scholar who has been mostly in solitary confinement since 2017, appeared in court
recently
, a term that is broadly defined in Saudi Arabia to include adherence to atheism and peaceful dissent, prosecutors are demanding the death sentence.
It was not immediately clear why the trial of Sheikh Awdah was postponed, but some analysts suggest the government may have wanted to avoid a high-profile court case at a moment in which Saudi Arabia is maneuvring to prevent a deterioration of relations with a Biden administration critical of the kingdom’s human rights record.