Get Saudi Arabia out of Human Rights Council, petition

This 9 August 2018 video says about itself:

Yemen: Saudi-led Airstrikes Hit School Bus, Killing Children

In Yemen, US-backed coalition airstrikes on a school bus killed and injured scores of civilians, mostly children. RT America’s Dan Cohen has this story.

From Avaaz, 10 August 2018:

Dear friends,

Saudi Arabia sentences women to death by stoning, brutally whips peaceful activists, and with their allies, just bombed a school bus full of kids in Yemen.

Canada just called out their latest jailing of women activists, and now Saudi has slammed them with sanctions! It’s a typical bullying Saudi response: make an “example” of anyone who dares stand up to them.


Enough is enough — let’s get our governments to stand with Canada by publicly demanding the release of human rights activists, calling to expel Saudi Arabia from the UN Human Rights Council,

I have to add that the Canadian government is not blameless, as until now they have helped selling lots of weapons to the Saudi regime to wage its war on the people of Yemen. Also, the Canadian government now is not calling for expelling Saudi Arabia from the United Nations Human Rights Council, as far as I know.

Saudi Arabia is on the UN Human Rights Council because officially ‘democratic’ governments like the USA and Great Britain wanted them to be there. Recently, the Trump administration withdrew the United States from that council. Not at all because their Saudi allies are on it; because of criticism of the United States government’s human rights record.

and to bring sanctions if the abuse continues — sign now!

Most of the world is still democratic and respects human rights.

I wish that would be really true.

But rogue states like Saudi are trying to change that, to move us away from law and rights and democracy, towards a darker world where might makes right.

They’re targeting Canada to make an example of a champion of humanity and global values.

Though I agree with the Canadian government’s recent call to free Saudi Arabian political prisoners, I cannot call Canada ‘a champion of humanity and global values’ all over. I already mentioned Canadian governments’ and war profiteering corporations‘ sales of billions of dollars of weapons to the Saudi regime to kill civilians in Yemen, kill civilians in Bahrain, kill immigrant workers in Saudi Arabia itself and kill Saudi pro-democracy citizens in Saudi Arabia itself.

Also, one should not whitewash the dark history of oppression of, eg, First Nations in Canada; and the present government’s fossil fuel pipeline scheme, damaging First Nations people and the environment.

The rest of the world’s democracies need to unite, or we’ll all soon face the same treatment.

But get this — Saudi Arabia isn’t just on the UN’s Human Rights Council, they actually sit on women’s rights committees

Indeed. They sit there with the help of the officially ‘democratic’ governments of the USA, the UK, Belgium, etc.

even as they lock up women unjustly! Now is the moment for our governments to stand up for human rights. Join the call for them to speak out and expel Saudi from the Human Rights Council!

Click to stand up for human rights!

Our movement played a major role in helping to win a vote in the European Parliament to ban arms sales to Saudi Arabia. It was the first time democracies have strongly stood up to Saudi oil and cash and done the right thing.

Unfortunately, the European Parliament is basically powerless in this. It is not stopping, eg, French President Macron continuing to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia.

Let’s make sure that a bright future of justice and law and human rights prevails over the dark dystopia that Saudi Arabia and Trump are pushing on us.

With hope,

Rewan, Andrew, Fatima, Ricken, Bert, Sarah, Christoph and everyone at Avaaz

More information:

Why Saudi Arabia is waging diplomatic war on … Canada (Vox)
https://www.vox.com/world/2018/8/6/17656864/saudi-arabia-canada-ambassador-persona-non-grata-samar-badawi

Saudi Arabia freezes Canada trade ties for urging activists’ release (BBC)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45079682

Saudi Arabia’s fight with Canada exposes its fragile crown prince (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2018/08/07/saudi-arabias-fight-with-canada-exposes-its-fragile-crown-prince/

‘We are always going to speak up for human rights’: Why Saudi Arabia abruptly suspended trade relations with Canada (National Post)
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/saudi-arabias-diplomatic-dispute-with-canada-an-explainer

Saudi Arabia’s row with Canada: Silencing Western criticism? (DW)
https://www.dw.com/en/saudi-arabias-row-with-canada-silencing-western-criticism/a-44988894

Here’s why Canadian allies are keeping their mouths shut in dispute with Saudi Arabia (Global News)
https://globalnews.ca/news/4376037/canada-saudi-arabia-dispute-united-states-silent/

The diplomatic standoff between Canada and Saudi Arabia that was triggered by a Twitter post late last week by Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland shows no sign of abating. Riyadh has announced sweeping measures to punish Ottawa for Freeland’s hypocritical criticisms of the absolutist regime’s human rights abuses. The vehemence of the Saudi reaction has stunned Canada’s Justin Trudeau-led Liberal government and elite. But what has most perturbed, even roiled, Ottawa is Washington’s refusal to take any steps to rein in its Saudi ally. … For several days it was unclear whether the 75,000 barrels of oil that Saudi Arabia exports to Canada daily would be affected. But on Thursday, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said Riyadh has a “firm and longstanding policy” that political disputes should not impact on its oil sales: here.