220 CSOs boycott G20 summit in Saudi Arabia: Amnesty International

SANAA, March 24 (YPA) – “Amnesty International” organization on Tuesday said that 220 civil society organizations (CSOs) had announced a boycott of the G20 meetings hosted by Saudi Arabia for 2020.

The Amnesty International pointed out that more than 220 civil society organizations from all over the world have expressed concern over the G20 civil society engagement process hosted by and in Saudi Arabia in 2020.

The organizations have pledged not to participate in this year’s process, known as the Civil 20 or ‘C20’, the dedicated stream of meetings for civil society within the G20, the Amnesty International added.

The organizations endorsed a statement, published in January 2020, which stated that “Instead of real reform, the Saudi government is trying to cover up its poor human rights record by holding major international events in the country.”

The statement said: “As the leading civil society organizations present in most countries around the world but not in Saudi Arabia, we cannot participate in a process that seeks to give international legitimacy to a country that does not effectively provide space for civil society, and where the voice of an independent civil society is not allowed.”

The Saudi capital, Riyadh, is scheduled to host the next G20 summit in November 2020.

Saudi Arabia, the main ally of the United States against Iran, faces severe Western criticism for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018, and the detention of women’s rights activists, as well as its role in the devastating war in Yemen.

YPA