For billions of Muslims around the world, completing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia is a sacred duty and a lifelong dream. But this year, that dream turned into a tragic nightmare when more than 1,300 pilgrims tragically died amid soaring temperatures. What should have been a profound spiritual journey, was clouded by an unaccountable, authoritarian government intent on covering up the truth rather than addressing underlying issues that exacerbated the tragedy. 

As the death toll began to mount, Saudi government officials initially refused to acknowledge the tragedy. Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel boasted about the success of the Hajj, claiming, “Despite a large number of pilgrims and the challenges posed by high temperatures, we experienced no outbreaks or public health threats.” Another official reported “zero incidents and zero deaths.” And, as the exiled National Assembly Party observed, authorities appeared to enforce a “systematic media blackout” on the fatalities. It was only after international media began reporting the staggering number of deaths, including those of at least 11 Americans, that officials were forced to change tactics—seven days following the tragedy—brazenly accusing exiled human rights defenders and democracy advocates of being responsible for the deaths.

Saudi pro-government trolls quickly launched a social media campaign using the hashtag “Prosecuting the Inciters and Killers of Pilgrims” that began trending on X. Many pro-government accounts posted “wanted poster”-style graphics with the photos of peaceful Saudi pro-democracy and human rights activists in exile in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States—including this author (Abdullah Alaoudh). Some of the verified pro-Saudi accounts on X asked for extraditing these activists for being “terrorists” and “waging a war against the Islamic sacred places!” Other posts menacingly called for their executions.

One of the more threatening accounts is @BinBrikus, whose location is set in Washington, D.C. He retweeted the wanted poster, posted a tweet calling for the destruction of traitors—a common accusation leveled against activists—and posted another tweet alluding to hit men “getting rid of” another U.S.-based activist.

Saudi Arabia has long prioritized polishing its image over making real change, organizing spectacular entertainment and sporting events while simultaneously sentencing human rights defenders—and even the mildest of perceived critics—to lengthy prison sentences, handing down death sentences following grossly unfair trials, and even targeting individuals on U.S. soil. When the truth of the Hajj tragedy finally emerged, rather than taking responsibility and acting to investigate the failures that contributed to the deaths, the government attempted to shift blame to those who helped expose the crisis and peaceful critics of the government exiled abroad.

Saudi authorities continue to employ these tactics to avoid taking responsibility, in part because they have repeatedly escaped accountability for egregious rights abuses. Despite initial international outrage, justice remains elusive for the brazen murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, the systematic killing of hundreds of Ethiopian migrants, and brutal acts of transnational repression targeting many others. 

Time and again, Saudi Arabia’s allies have ignored or appeased the Saudi government for its appalling crimes. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been granted legal immunity in U.S. courts, been enabled economically in sports and culture, and been embraced politically at the highest levels. Despite the Saudi regime’s human rights record, the Biden administration continues to push  forward with a security pact unprecedented for the region that would commit the United States to rushing to the defense of a brutal and self-obsessed dictator. Such a pact would ensure decades of impunity for authoritarian crimes while hindering popular efforts to push for democracy and human rights in Saudi Arabia and the region—all while offering the United States little in return.

Emboldened by the lack of accountability from the United States and other allies, Saudi authorities have been empowered to continue their abusive and reckless behavior. Saudi Arabia’s autocratic, unaccountable, and nontransparent government handled  the Hajj tragedy with its usual playbook of repression—exacerbating the magnitude of the crisis and most likely hampering efforts to prevent similar tragedies in the future. 

While the risk of deaths at Hajj will continue to rise due to extreme heat, responding to the real threat of climate change requires good governance and accountability, not more repression. Independent Saudi human rights organizations have emphasized the critical need for transparency in such tragedies, urging Saudi authorities to release all available information and allow access to independent international investigators so they can establish the facts and provide answers for the victims’ families and prevent future tragedies. 

The Biden administration should demand greater transparency from the Saudi government and refrain from any security pact that emboldens Saudi authorities and rewards their reprehensible behavior. Such agreements risk sacrificing more lives—soldiers and pilgrims alike—while further entrenching an oppressive regime. 

 

Abdullah Alaoudh is the Senior Director for Countering Authoritarianism at the Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC) and the Secretary General of the National Assembly Party (NAAS).

Maryam Aldossari is a senior lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London and a researcher on women’s inequality in Saudi Arabia.

 

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