F1 accused of turning a blind eye to “heinous crimes” in Saudi Arabia

This weekend, Formula 1 makes a stop in Saudi Arabia, at the Jeddah circuit. On this occasion, the non-governmental organization “Reprieve” accuses Formula 1 of turning a blind eye to the abuses committed in the country. This is not the first time that the organization has called out the sports governing body.

The NGO Reprieve reports numerous human rights violations committed in the country. The BBC reports that 13 executions have taken place in the past two weeks. In a statement, the director of the NGO, Maya Foa, calls out Formula 1, accusing them of not responding to this issue, at a time when the Grand Prix is set to take place in Jeddah. Despite the many words about positive values and accelerating change, Formula 1 has never seriously addressed human rights and how the sport is used to whitewash abuses committed by some of the world’s most repressive regimes, she declares.

Since the arrival to power of Mohammed bin Salman in 2015, Saudi Arabia has been accused of committing 1,000 executions, some of which took place before last year’s Grand Prix: « The Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia last year took place three days after a mass execution, and apart from Lewis Hamilton, drivers, organizers, and sponsors paid little attention to the event, reproaches Maya Foa. For the NGO, the presence of the Formula 1 Grand Prix aims to divert attention from the crimes committed: « The authorities are confident that the sport and its commercial partners will remain silent and that the splendor of Formula 1 will divert attention from the bloodshed ». For her «, the issue of human rights in this sport has never been as blatant as it is today ».

The United Nations, in a report published last year, stated that 81 men were executed in a single day for defending human rights. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, estimated that out of the 81 individuals convicted of “terrorist offenses,” 41 belonged to the Shiite minority who had participated in anti-government protests, advocating for greater political participation.

The brother of an executed person speaks out

Yasser al-Khayyat, the brother of Mustafa al-Khayyat – one of the men executed last year – has written to the CEO of F1, Stefano Domenicali, stating that he was only executed for participating in pro-democracy protests and argued that the presence of F1 in the country had encouraged the authorities to act violently.

« He explained in his letter, ‘They are using the spectacle of this sports championship to divert attention from the murder of my brother and hundreds of others ». The Grand Prix is being held as if nothing has happened, without even mentioning the atrocities that have just been committed on this very soil, legitimizing these heinous crimes. Silence is complicity,’ » he continued.”

« This is how the regime gets away with its atrocities and suppresses calls for democratic reforms. If you really want Formula 1 to be an agent of change, rather than a tool to “whitewash” Saudi abuses, please end the silence of Formula 1. »