Recent reports have shed light on the darker side of Saudi Arabia’s Neom megaproject. In April 2020, an exiled Saudi colonel, Col Rabih Alenezi, revealed that the country authorized the use of lethal force to clear land for its futuristic Neom desert megacity. The area targeted for development was primarily occupied by the Huwaitat tribe, and local villagers who resisted eviction were met with deadly consequences.
One villager, Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti, was reportedly killed by Saudi authorities during the eviction process. While Saudi state security claimed al-Huwaiti had opened fire on security forces, human rights organizations have disputed this claim. Despite this controversy, the Saudi government has stated that over 6,000 people have been relocated to make way for the Neom project. However, some human rights groups believe that the actual number of displaced individuals is much higher.
Last year, three men protesting the Neom project were sentenced to death, leading to international criticism of Saudi Arabia’s approach to dissent. In July 2019, a Saudi woman named Fatima al-Shawarbi was sentenced to 30 years in prison for speaking out against the forced eviction of villagers to make way for Neom. These incidents highlight the challenges and controversies surrounding Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 plans and raise concerns about human rights violations and suppressions of dissent within the country.
Saudi Arabia has faced scrutiny for its handling of objections to the Neom project. There have been reports emerging of individuals being imprisoned for criticizing development plans in what appears to be a growing crackdown on free speech in the kingdom.
The situation highlights how despite high hopes for its economic and technological advancement through Vision 2030, there are still significant issues with respect to human rights violations and suppression of dissent within Saudi Arabia that need to be addressed before this ambitious project can truly become a reality without controversy or backlash from citizens who fear losing their homes and their freedom.