0:00:02 > 0:00:10This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting
0:00:10 > 0:00:13The House of Saud has unparalleled wealth and influence.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16While the royal family behaves extravagantly,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19travels abroad, displays this wealth
0:00:19 > 0:00:23and sometimes behaves not according to what they preach,
0:00:23 > 0:00:27we find that Saudi society itself is controlled.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Yet their grip on power is facing its most serious challenge.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36You can see the perfect storm
0:00:36 > 0:00:40forming around Saudi Arabia at this stage.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44A restless young population is demanding change.
0:00:44 > 0:00:50You feel like you're not a human and you have no right to even dream.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52No right to do anything.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59Now a new crown prince is promising to transform the country.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02This leadership said - "To hell with it, we're going to do it."
0:01:02 > 0:01:05A royal decree has been issued in Saudi Arabia
0:01:05 > 0:01:08giving women the right to drive.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11APPLAUSE
0:01:13 > 0:01:18But staying in power also means crushing opposition.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It is trying to be the ally of the West,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25suggesting that he is moderate, whereas actually beheading
0:01:25 > 0:01:28people whose offence was to attend a protest.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33For decades, this extraordinary family have been the great
0:01:33 > 0:01:35survivors of the Middle East.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Now their future rests on a young, untested prince.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46I think it is crucial, I think we should very much want him,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49want his country to succeed.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53If something happens to Saudi Arabia, this would be catastrophic
0:01:53 > 0:01:57for the region and, frankly, catastrophic for the world.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08DRUMMING AND SINGING
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Less than 100 years ago,
0:02:10 > 0:02:15the House of Saud ruled a relatively obscure desert kingdom.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But oil changed all of that.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22The Saudi royal family controlled the revenue of the Kingdom that
0:02:22 > 0:02:24comes mainly from oil.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26They can spend it as they wish
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and nobody has the right to challenge them.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33But their power doesn't simply come from wealth.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37It comes from their role within Islam.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42The King styles himself as the custodian of Islam's two
0:02:42 > 0:02:44holiest sites - Medina and Mecca.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49And with that power comes huge responsibility.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57It is important for them to be seen as role models in religion
0:02:57 > 0:02:58in their country.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00The textbooks that the state publishes
0:03:00 > 0:03:05and gives to Saudi citizens teach that one of the greatest
0:03:05 > 0:03:09sins you could possibly engage in is hypocrisy.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14Specifically one who engages in un-Islamic acts
0:03:15 > 0:03:17while claiming to be a Muslim.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21And that's also why the royal family is so sensitive
0:03:21 > 0:03:24when it comes to stories coming out about members
0:03:24 > 0:03:28of the royal family that contradict with the sort of public face
0:03:28 > 0:03:30that they are supposed to be portraying at home.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Few of those who work for the House of Saud
0:03:37 > 0:03:40talk about their experiences.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44The majority of the Saudis that I worked for were paranoid,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47not all of them, but, yes, the majority of them.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50But it depends who it was and where you were
0:03:50 > 0:03:52in different situations.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56And a lot of them were paranoid because they did not want to be seen
0:03:56 > 0:03:58doing something they shouldn't do.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Joao Ferreira is a former bodyguard who has
0:04:03 > 0:04:05worked for several Saudi princes.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11They like to have girls for the day, for the week, whatever it may be.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14They are extremely well-paid models.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17We'd get a description of what the prince would like
0:04:17 > 0:04:22and this agency would ship girls in from everywhere -
0:04:22 > 0:04:28even America - if they fitted the description.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31In reality, they are high-class prostitutes
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and they are getting paid for a service.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Money does buy love, of course, because that girlfriend
0:04:38 > 0:04:41is madly in love with him for the day or for the hour or for the week.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Whether you say the word prostitute or not,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46at the end of the day, that is exactly what they are.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52I think Saudi princes are really afraid of their secrets.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54It's a secret for them,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56or that their lifestyle comes out in the public.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03Stephanie says her clients include high-paying Saudi royals.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The most amount that I earnt in one day was 20,000.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Then I also had some jewellery from Bulgari and Rolex.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Yeah, they are really good clients and not only because of
0:05:20 > 0:05:23the money, because, of course, they give, like, a lot of money,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26but the ones I met, they were really respectful,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29they really treated me as a princess.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33They always gave us the best, you know, the best hotels,
0:05:33 > 0:05:34good hotel rooms.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36They didn't treat us as a number.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39They gave me like an old-school phone
0:05:39 > 0:05:44so I had a Nokia or something with my own SIM card.
0:05:44 > 0:05:45But it was more for them
0:05:45 > 0:05:49so that I couldn't take pictures of the prince.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53Any time they are not with the prince,
0:05:53 > 0:05:59then they are watched 24 hours, basically, if need be.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03So you always know where they are and they always have to report
0:06:03 > 0:06:07where they are going, who they are going with, that is then reported
0:06:07 > 0:06:12to the prince and he will say - OK, send somebody with her or not,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15depending on who it is and how long they stay
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and how much they like them.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Despite the secrecy that surrounds the private lives of some Saudi
0:06:27 > 0:06:32princes, stories have circulated about bad royal behaviour abroad.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36But very few cases ever come to court.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Some of those royal family members, some of them,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47they live, themselves, in a very narcissistic way.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Pathological grandiosity.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53They believe they are above the law all over the world.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59London has always been a favourite playground
0:06:59 > 0:07:01for the Saudi royal family.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Meet Prince Saud Abdulaziz Bin Nasir al Saud,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12the great-grandson of Saudi's first king.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15London gave the Prince an opportunity
0:07:15 > 0:07:18to pursue a very different lifestyle.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23I crawl up the back and massage the back.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Body to body, yeah, I'm excited,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27he's excited, he's underneath me,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29I'm kissing his ears, massaging his head.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32You can tell he is horny as hell.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Homosexual activity is illegal in Saudi Arabia.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44But in the discreet surroundings of a top London hotel,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46who could possibly find out?
0:07:46 > 0:07:51But this Saudi prince also had extreme issues with his temper.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02In 2010, CCTV from the hotel lift shows him
0:08:02 > 0:08:05attacking his manservant Bandar Abdulaziz.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Three weeks later, Bandar was found dead
0:08:13 > 0:08:15in the prince's hotel room.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20The blood trails, we could see the body had been moved
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and it had been dragged across the floor of the room
0:08:23 > 0:08:25and been placed on the bed.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30The prince gave a story,
0:08:30 > 0:08:35saying that Bandar had been attacked whilst out walking himself.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37He said he believed he died
0:08:37 > 0:08:40as a result of the injuries from the robbery.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Police were sceptical.
0:08:43 > 0:08:50A major alarm bell was the CCTV in the hotel lift,
0:08:50 > 0:08:55where Bandar was lethally punched around the head
0:08:55 > 0:08:57and struck about the body by the prince.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01And the impression I got was that this was something he was used to
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and he knew it was his place to take a beating.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08That very quickly broke the prince's story,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10we were able to get really good evidence
0:09:10 > 0:09:12to prove that he was responsible.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Next - the prince tried to get off the hook by claiming
0:09:17 > 0:09:19he had diplomatic immunity.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23He had no diplomatic immunity, that was pointed out
0:09:23 > 0:09:25and that claim went away very quickly.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29At his trial at the Old Bailey,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33the prince denied any sexual relationship with his manservant.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38His sexuality became central to the prosecution case.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41His masseur was called to give evidence.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Gasps from all around
0:09:44 > 0:09:48and particularly from the Saudi corner, you could...
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Because... "What have I done here?"
0:09:51 > 0:09:55I just think, "Have I given too much graphic detail?"
0:09:55 > 0:09:57But that's what you're there for, right?
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Because the guy said, "Yeah, I killed the guy, but I'm not gay."
0:10:02 > 0:10:04During the course of the investigation,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06we examined the prince's mobile phones,
0:10:06 > 0:10:12on the phone there were photographs of Bandar naked in sexual positions.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Again, that helped to prove the nature of the relationship
0:10:15 > 0:10:17between himself and the prince.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24During the trial, the prince's lawyer were anxious to prove
0:10:24 > 0:10:27that he was not in a gay relationship.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29I take offence at that.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Like being gay is the worst thing in the world,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33far more than killing a guy.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34Hypocrisy.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37And a killer.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42The prince was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Three years later, under a prisoner transfer agreement,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49he was returned to Saudi Arabia to serve out his sentence.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52It is unknown what has happened to him since,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54but the transfer angers some.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57And it's just so wrong. It's an insult to the guy who was killed,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59it's an insult to the justice here.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03It's an insult to people like me who actually stood up there bravely
0:11:03 > 0:11:05to be counted and give evidence against
0:11:05 > 0:11:08one of the world's most powerful families.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11It's an insult.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14I think he has got away with it.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23The royal family and the King himself are obsessed
0:11:23 > 0:11:25with the way they are seen in the West.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28And more people are aware that Saudi issues
0:11:28 > 0:11:31are being discussed in the Western media,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35the more they believe that their regime is vulnerable.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38That is why they warn their own members, they say, "Be careful,
0:11:38 > 0:11:43"when you leave the country, don't put us in trouble."
0:11:43 > 0:11:47It's a matter of not to embarrass the King
0:11:47 > 0:11:51in front of the British or American press or European press.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:12:02 > 0:12:04SQUEAKY FART
0:12:04 > 0:12:07RUMBLING FART
0:12:13 > 0:12:16It does feel awesome
0:12:16 > 0:12:19to see millions of people
0:12:19 > 0:12:23reading my tweets or watching my videos.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:12:31 > 0:12:34It gives me more encouragement to do more.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Ghanem Aldosari is a Saudi blogger.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55From London, he runs one of the most popular social media accounts -
0:12:55 > 0:12:58mocking the Saudi royal family's bad behaviour.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03His videos have achieved around 180 million hits
0:13:03 > 0:13:05and he has a huge following in Saudi Arabia.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11In my videos, I cover most of the bad behaviours.
0:13:11 > 0:13:18The parties, how they spend their money, their gambling,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21the misuse of drugs.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I'm very dangerous to them,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29otherwise they wouldn't call me terrorist.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32I do think I'm a danger to them,
0:13:32 > 0:13:36because I talk to the public.
0:13:36 > 0:13:42And I start changing the mind of the public.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44And they don't like it.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51The power of the House of Saud relies upon maintaining
0:13:51 > 0:13:54its status as a family that is fit to rule.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58But social media has given Saudis more access
0:13:58 > 0:14:02than ever before to critical information about their rulers.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08Saudi citizens have been in the dark before, but at the moment,
0:14:08 > 0:14:13we have campaigns on Twitter, for example, that track this kind
0:14:13 > 0:14:13of images of the princes
0:14:13 > 0:14:15of images of the princes
0:14:15 > 0:14:18when they are not supposed to be behaving as they do,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22and people follow them and they are aware of their excesses.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25It is building up consciousness about those princes
0:14:25 > 0:14:27and what they can do.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30For decades, Saudi royals have
0:14:30 > 0:14:34enjoyed lives of extraordinary privilege.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35They have been able to do so
0:14:35 > 0:14:39because of a unique social contract which has
0:14:39 > 0:14:41provided their citizens with well-paid jobs,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44free education and health care,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48almost no taxation and, of course, cheap fuel.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51You know, if you're a Saudi citizen today, since the founding
0:14:51 > 0:14:55of the modern Kingdom, we have had continuity and stability.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Now, people in the West take that lightly sometimes,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59because they take it as a given.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02But your property, your family,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06the chance to get educated, the chance to develop.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11Push come to shove, you know, they have actually gotten the best
0:15:11 > 0:15:16deal of any citizen in the Middle East over the past 100 years.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20But there is a new threat to the House of Saud.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22A demographic time bomb.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Around two thirds of the population is under 30.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32And they are questioning the conservative rule
0:15:32 > 0:15:34of the House of Saud.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39It is really hard, you feel like you're not a human
0:15:39 > 0:15:43and you have no right to even dream.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45I'm not allowed to do anything,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48I'm not allowed to decide anything for myself.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53I'm here just to get married and have babies and just follow rules.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Samah Damanhoori left the Kingdom in 2014.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00She now lives in the United States.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04So imagine if you're living your whole life like that.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06And whenever you dream, whenever you have an opinion,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08you're not allowed even to think like that.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10This is wrong.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20In 2017, a 24-year-old Saudi woman called Dina Ali Lasloom
0:16:20 > 0:16:24was believed to be attempting to escape an arranged marriage
0:16:24 > 0:16:27by flying to Australia.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30But during a stopover at Manila airport,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Philippines authorities detained her.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Fearing her family was coming to force her back to Saudi Arabia,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Dina was filmed pleading with airport officials.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Dina was put on a flight back to Riyadh,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18but not before she sent her video appeal to an activist.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27Then Moudi Aljohani brought world attention to Dina's plight.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Before Dina had even landed in Saudi Arabia,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34#SaveDinaAli had gone viral.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Can you tell us anything about Dina's condition or whereabouts?
0:17:39 > 0:17:40The last thing we know is that
0:17:40 > 0:17:43she's been held in the girls' detention,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46which is another name of women's prison.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Moudi campaigned for Dina,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51because she says her own family wanted her to live
0:17:51 > 0:17:54under the control of a male guardian
0:17:54 > 0:17:57who would decide many aspects of her life.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Moudi went to university in America.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03When she returned to Saudi Arabia for a holiday,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05she says her family tried to keep her there.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08When I went to visit my family,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10they said, "You are not going back.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12"Because you are being too Americanised."
0:18:14 > 0:18:18That was the biggest shock in my life.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21And I didn't believe it in the beginning.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And then it became real.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I was a hostage.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29I was a prisoner in my own house.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31I call it slavery.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36Because there is no different than slaves and the guardianship system.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38It's modern slavery.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42SALSA MUSIC PLAYS
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Moudi eventually escaped and fled back to America.
0:18:51 > 0:18:57Anybody in my position who tests the freedom for a little bit
0:18:57 > 0:19:01and go back to hell, would do the same thing that I did.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Some Saudis are not impressed.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Fahad Nazer is a political consultant
0:19:08 > 0:19:11to the Saudi Embassy in Washington DC.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14He does not speak on behalf of the Saudi government.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17If you listen closely to the grievances,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21they almost begin and end with,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23unfortunate, I'm sure,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26but, you know, nonetheless problems
0:19:26 > 0:19:31that stem at their...you know, family issues...
0:19:31 > 0:19:34problems stemming, you know, in their households
0:19:34 > 0:19:37that they don't reflect.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40They have little bearing on wider societal...
0:19:40 > 0:19:44or wider society. It's...
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Saudi Arabia's supporters claim that many women
0:19:49 > 0:19:51back their strict Islamic system.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57WOMAN SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Samah is no longer a Muslim.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24She has also publicly criticised Islam.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30I broke a lot of rules in terms of culture and religion.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33So it's really, really hard to go back home.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36They would lock me up until I get married
0:20:36 > 0:20:38to the man that THEY approve, not me.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44And I would be always a slave for them.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Samah is seeking asylum in America.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58From there, she campaigns for the rights of women back home.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03If I do what I am doing right now back home,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06they would just simply put me in jail,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10they would do whatever to shut me and put me down.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Saudi Arabia's growing young population also faces
0:21:19 > 0:21:22economic uncertainty.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25The economy is built around oil.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28But the fall in oil prices may mean the party is over.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35The economy is not working, the economy flat-lined in 2016
0:21:35 > 0:21:39and went into recession in 2017.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43One third of the reserves that the Saudis had
0:21:43 > 0:21:46when King Salman ascended to the throne had been spent.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50And you don't have to have a Masters degree in business to figure out
0:21:50 > 0:21:54if you've spent one third in three years, where you're ending up.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Facing these challenges is a new crown prince
0:21:58 > 0:22:02who has become the leading figure in the House of Saud.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05APPLAUSE
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Just 32 years old, Mohammad Bin Salman
0:22:10 > 0:22:13has promised to fundamentally transform the Kingdom.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21At the heart of his project called Vision 2030
0:22:21 > 0:22:24is a promise to modernise the Saudi Arabian economy.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30This is a revolution that's going on, this is not a transition.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34And it's driven by the recognition
0:22:34 > 0:22:38of a need for a revolution in the economy.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40They cannot continue the way they have
0:22:40 > 0:22:43with oil prices and gas prices
0:22:43 > 0:22:45what they are and generally predicted
0:22:45 > 0:22:47to continue to be for some time.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Vision 2030 in the long term and on the surface
0:22:50 > 0:22:52is an economic diversification strategy,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56but it's underpinned by social and cultural reform.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59And it also placed woman on the map.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05A royal decree has been issued in Saudi Arabia
0:23:05 > 0:23:08giving women the right to drive.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12APPLAUSE
0:23:13 > 0:23:18In 2017, Saudi Arabia became the last country in the world
0:23:18 > 0:23:20to allow women to drive.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23It was an historic moment for the Kingdom.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28It is a very important reform,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30because women who are working,
0:23:30 > 0:23:35such as teachers, they need to go to their schools on time.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37They need to run their affairs.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39They need to have freedom of movement.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Social reform is under way.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43CHEERING
0:23:43 > 0:23:47For the first time in decades, cinemas are opening.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Women have been allowed into stadiums.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54The feared religious police have been barred from making arrests.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57WOMAN SHRIEKS
0:23:59 > 0:24:01SHRIEKING
0:24:03 > 0:24:07And the male guardianship system under which women need
0:24:07 > 0:24:11a man's permission for many activities is also changing.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17The woman's guardianship issue has always been a problem, but material
0:24:17 > 0:24:20changes already happened to the woman's guardianship.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24For example, women now are allowed to go to government departments
0:24:24 > 0:24:29and get papers and execute official documents without a guardian,
0:24:29 > 0:24:30which is a huge step forward.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34But it is only a start.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37A mandatory dress code remains in place.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39And in some Sharia courts,
0:24:39 > 0:24:44a woman's testimony is worth only half a man's.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Women can't leave the country without the permission
0:24:47 > 0:24:50of their guardian and this is still practised in Saudi Arabia.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54There are certain professions they cannot go into without
0:24:54 > 0:24:56the permission of their guardian.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59If a woman is employed in the private sector and her job
0:24:59 > 0:25:04requires her to travel outside Saudi Arabia, she will not be able to go,
0:25:04 > 0:25:08unless her guardian signs a form to say that she can travel for work.
0:25:08 > 0:25:09What we've seen so far
0:25:09 > 0:25:13is some modest steps in the right direction,
0:25:13 > 0:25:18but the scriptures that govern Saudi society,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20especially gender relations,
0:25:20 > 0:25:25involve thousands of decrees from the clerical establishment.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29One estimate is there's up to 30,000 decrees issued
0:25:29 > 0:25:33over the years by the Wahhabi clerical establishment
0:25:33 > 0:25:37that governs everything about behaviour of women
0:25:37 > 0:25:40and the interaction between women and men in the Kingdom.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42That's a formidable amount of legislation
0:25:42 > 0:25:45that has to be looked into and reversed.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Social and economic liberalisation may be crucial to maintaining
0:25:52 > 0:25:54the House of Saud's rule,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58but political freedoms are another thing altogether.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03SHOUTING
0:26:03 > 0:26:06THEY PROTEST
0:26:06 > 0:26:11The Arab Spring saw dictators across the Middle East toppled.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15SHOUTING ON MEGAPHONE
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Protests erupted in Saudi Arabia, too.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Social media exploded, becoming a pivotal tool for activists.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26CHANTING
0:26:26 > 0:26:29GUNSHOTS
0:26:29 > 0:26:32There was, I think, a brief window of time
0:26:32 > 0:26:37when the Saudi government was not in control of what their citizens were
0:26:37 > 0:26:40saying and able to say, and that was with the emergence of social media.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47That really brought about a tremendous opening
0:26:47 > 0:26:51in Saudi Arabia, the likes of which we had not seen before.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53SHOUTING
0:26:53 > 0:26:57But the Saudi government soon woke up to the threat.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00RAPID GUNFIRE
0:27:00 > 0:27:02After the Arab Spring,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06the regime sees itself as very vulnerable.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Any activity is seen by the regime as dangerous,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14whether it is somebody making a tweet,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17or a post on Facebook, or a post on YouTube.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19They try to chase them,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22either by using the advanced technology given to the regime
0:27:22 > 0:27:25by the West, or by seducing them,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29sending agents to speak to them.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31So they use the social media itself
0:27:31 > 0:27:33to arrest people, to get rid of them.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25In 2014, Bill Marczak was an analyst
0:28:25 > 0:28:29for Canadian-based research team Citizen Lab.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32He uncovered a malicious bug hidden in an app for a newspaper,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35popular in the Shia eastern province of Saudi Arabia.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40We saw, for instance, on Twitter,
0:28:40 > 0:28:42there were a few accounts sending out tweets saying,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45"Oh, check out the new version of the Qatif Today app."
0:28:45 > 0:28:48And if you had clicked on that and installed that on your phone,
0:28:48 > 0:28:49your phone would have been infected
0:28:49 > 0:28:53and data would've been sent back to the Saudi Ministry of Interior.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58Bill traced the bug back to a hi-tech company that develops
0:28:58 > 0:29:00what it calls offensive security.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15Italian company Hacking Team has been criticised
0:29:15 > 0:29:18for having supplied this kind of mass surveillance technology
0:29:18 > 0:29:20to Saudi Arabia.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40Alberto Pelliccione is one of the world's foremost hackers.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42He worked for Hacking Team
0:29:42 > 0:29:45when they used to run this kind of operation.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56When I understand which angle I'm going to attack...
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Saudi Arabia, in my estimate,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44is probably one of the more sophisticated governments
0:30:44 > 0:30:46when it comes to surveillance in the Middle East,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49and the simple reason is they've got a lot of money,
0:30:49 > 0:30:51so this gives them access to surveillance tools
0:30:51 > 0:30:54that other governments might not have access to.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58You know, I'm sure that Saudi is very interested in fighting
0:30:58 > 0:31:00terrorism, but I'm sure also that they're abusing the products
0:31:00 > 0:31:03to spy on activists, because, you know, what...
0:31:03 > 0:31:06If you are the Saudi government, who are the threats?
0:31:06 > 0:31:08Well, the threats are anyone that's kind of threatening your grip
0:31:08 > 0:31:12on power and your...your...the stability of your ruling family
0:31:12 > 0:31:13and your government.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Social media had been a mixed blessing in Saudi Arabia.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21First, it allowed Saudis to access the world
0:31:21 > 0:31:23and make their voices heard.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27However, there is an unfortunate side to Saudi social media,
0:31:27 > 0:31:31and that is a lot of people got in trouble as a result
0:31:31 > 0:31:36of circulating ideas, even short sentences on Twitter.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Unlike countries such as China and Turkey,
0:31:41 > 0:31:45platforms like Twitter have remained open.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47But there is evidence the Saudi government has begun to
0:31:47 > 0:31:52manipulate social media in ever more sophisticated ways.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55The explosion of the use of social media
0:31:55 > 0:31:58does not mean that the regime is silent,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00it does not mean the regime is allowing people
0:32:00 > 0:32:02to use social media as they want.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06It's believed they have the capability to sabotage
0:32:06 > 0:32:11online discussions about the Kingdom using propaganda bots.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18Bots, essentially, look like real people, but it's software.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20It's computer software
0:32:20 > 0:32:22that uses social media to look like a real person
0:32:22 > 0:32:24and to spread propaganda.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Marc Owen Jones has studied the accounts of Twitter users
0:32:28 > 0:32:29in Saudi Arabia.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Half of that information that you see will be propaganda.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40And we're talking every day, probably over 100,000 tweets.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43It basically means half of the internet Twitter population
0:32:43 > 0:32:45of Saudi is computer software.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51He says the bots are used for what is called hashtag poisoning -
0:32:51 > 0:32:55artificially inflating support for the government position
0:32:55 > 0:32:59in a huge, invisible wave of propaganda.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Hashtag poisoning is basically going onto a hashtag,
0:33:02 > 0:33:03dominating it,
0:33:03 > 0:33:08squeezing out any real, genuine, critical information.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Again, it ties in with the idea of making credible information,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15real information, critical information, difficult to find.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19And you do it to such an extent that it becomes almost...
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Twitter becomes useless as a tool of finding out
0:33:22 > 0:33:24what's going on in real time in certain parts of the world.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Criticism of the House of Saud
0:33:30 > 0:33:34is also controlled through sweeping anti-terror laws.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Now, in Saudi Arabia, you could be classified as a terrorist
0:33:41 > 0:33:44if you spread atheism,
0:33:44 > 0:33:45if you attend an international conference
0:33:45 > 0:33:47that the State doesn't like,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50if you speak to a rights group or an international reporter
0:33:50 > 0:33:53in a way that the State thinks is undermining national unity.
0:33:53 > 0:33:58One of the terms of the law even said that if you harm
0:33:58 > 0:34:02the reputation of the State, you can be classified as a terrorist.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04We would hope that the - and we would expect -
0:34:04 > 0:34:07that the relevant authorities would be vigilant
0:34:07 > 0:34:09in applying these laws
0:34:09 > 0:34:12in such a manner that they do not infringe
0:34:12 > 0:34:14on the freedom of expression
0:34:14 > 0:34:18of peaceful individuals who are not resorting to incitement,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21who are not resorting to the encouragement of violence
0:34:21 > 0:34:22or anything like that.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26SHOUTING
0:34:26 > 0:34:31The public has very limited information about the evidence
0:34:31 > 0:34:35that's presented, the nature of the crime that is being alleged,
0:34:35 > 0:34:40the way in which a conviction is...is reached,
0:34:40 > 0:34:42and in that kind of context,
0:34:42 > 0:34:47it creates a kind of pervasive feeling of repression,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51so it takes a very brave person in Saudi Arabia to speak out
0:34:51 > 0:34:53about anything political,
0:34:53 > 0:34:57certainly anything that might shed a negative light
0:34:57 > 0:34:59on...on the government.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02There may have been individual cases, there may have been
0:35:02 > 0:35:06individual mistakes, but it is not a common practice in Saudi Arabia.
0:35:06 > 0:35:11We're not North Korea, we're not, you know, the Gulags,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14we're not anything like that.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18We are a peaceful society that is well integrated,
0:35:18 > 0:35:20that is well...cohesive
0:35:20 > 0:35:24and that has the right to protect itself
0:35:24 > 0:35:27and to protect its community against the threat of terrorism.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56In January 2016, the Saudi Interior Ministry
0:35:56 > 0:36:01announced it had executed 47 people on a single day,
0:36:01 > 0:36:04declared guilty of terror offences.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12While some of the 47 were convicted of Al-Qaeda-linked terror attacks,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15others seem to be simply political protesters.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22King Salman wanted to show that he's tough with any kind of dissidence.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25The regime claims that they are either terrorists or
0:36:25 > 0:36:27sympathisers with terrorists,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31but given that the judiciary in Saudi Arabia is not independent,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35it is very difficult to verify these claims.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Among those executed was Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr,
0:36:42 > 0:36:46a leading cleric from the country's Shia Muslim minority.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Saudi Arabia's Shias have long complained of marginalisation
0:36:49 > 0:36:50and oppression.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55This was a very blunt
0:36:55 > 0:36:57and strongly worded message to the Shia community
0:36:57 > 0:37:01that this is the consequence of stirring up dissatisfaction,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04expressing that in any way.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08The consequence is arrest, prosecution, execution.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Taha al-Haji was one of the lawyers
0:37:18 > 0:37:20who tried to stop the executions.
0:37:34 > 0:37:35The government concocted a case
0:37:35 > 0:37:40accusing him of undermining national unity,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42and harming the reputation of the State.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46SCOFFS:All of which are terrorist offences in Saudi Arabia now.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50HE SPEAKS ARABIC
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Convicted criminals were executed, simple as that.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58They went through the full process of the law,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01they went through multiple appeal stages,
0:38:01 > 0:38:05and they were convicted of crimes, of terrorism and other crimes,
0:38:05 > 0:38:09and they were executed in accordance with the law.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22But the image of mass executions plastered across the world's media
0:38:22 > 0:38:24caused widespread outrage.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Now the Americans wanted answers about the executions of the 47 men.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36The President took it up with the King.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38I have to give President Obama a lot of credit, I mean,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42he was very forthright in bringing these issues to the forefront,
0:38:42 > 0:38:45and the King was very direct with the President, too, in saying,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48you know, "We have our customs, we have our judicial system,"
0:38:48 > 0:38:50you know, "I have to...
0:38:50 > 0:38:51"I may be the King of Saudi Arabia,
0:38:51 > 0:38:53"but I have to respect my judicial system."
0:38:56 > 0:38:57I think our human rights record is
0:38:57 > 0:38:59one of the best in the world,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03both internally and in terms of our own systems
0:39:03 > 0:39:08and as far as international agreements and covenants.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11We uphold the charter, we uphold...
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Above that, we uphold our own Sharia law
0:39:14 > 0:39:17which protects human rights for all individuals
0:39:17 > 0:39:21and which guarantees the dignity
0:39:21 > 0:39:26and the responsibility also towards society of all members
0:39:26 > 0:39:30of the community. So I have no doubt that we uphold
0:39:30 > 0:39:32the highest standards of human rights.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39I think Saudi Arabia finds self-analysis
0:39:39 > 0:39:42and self-criticism extremely difficult
0:39:42 > 0:39:43and extremely painful.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47I certainly would not characterise Saudi Arabia as one
0:39:47 > 0:39:50of the countries with the best human rights record in the world.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55I think the Saudi Arabia record on improving human rights
0:39:55 > 0:39:57is extremely disappointing.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03I think that the United States and other partners of Saudi Arabia -
0:40:04 > 0:40:08the UK, others in Europe - have, for a long time,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12addressed with Saudi officials,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15our deep and consistent concerns
0:40:15 > 0:40:18regarding things like their violation
0:40:18 > 0:40:20of freedom of religion and belief,
0:40:20 > 0:40:24their use of the death penalty for crimes that do not rise to the
0:40:24 > 0:40:26level of the utilisation of the death penalty,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29a full panoply of concerns.
0:40:29 > 0:40:30And, unfortunately,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34I don't think that they've made much progress at all.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38There are those in the West, if I may say, who want to mould us
0:40:38 > 0:40:41in their own mould, and we say, "Thanks, but no, thanks."
0:40:41 > 0:40:45We are not Sweden, we are not Switzerland,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48we are not Britain, we are not Norway.
0:40:49 > 0:40:50We are our own country,
0:40:50 > 0:40:54and we do not want to be moulded in the mould of any other country.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02The Kingdom's treatment of dissenters is criticised
0:41:02 > 0:41:05not just by diplomats and human rights experts,
0:41:05 > 0:41:08but also from within the royal family itself.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud can trace his family lineage
0:41:29 > 0:41:33back to the original founders of the Kingdom.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37The Prince is openly critical of how the Saudi Interior Ministry
0:41:37 > 0:41:40has cracked down on human rights activists.
0:42:22 > 0:42:23Prince Khalid is speaking out
0:42:23 > 0:42:26through a sense of personal injustice
0:42:26 > 0:42:30over what he claims is the illegal seizure of land he inherited.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36He feels the country is deeply corrupt.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18The social reforms introduced
0:43:18 > 0:43:21by the new Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24have led to hopes that the human rights situation
0:43:24 > 0:43:26in the Kingdom would improve,
0:43:26 > 0:43:28but a new terror law he has introduced
0:43:28 > 0:43:31includes penalties of up to ten years in jail
0:43:31 > 0:43:33for insulting the King and Crown Prince,
0:43:33 > 0:43:37as well as the death penalty for other acts of terrorism.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Yahya Assiri is a Saudi human rights activist.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10It has definitely had a negative impact on activism,
0:44:10 > 0:44:12when you see all the leading figures,
0:44:12 > 0:44:14and all human rights defenders
0:44:14 > 0:44:17and the respected figures of this movement being behind bars now.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22If you dare to speak out about the right,
0:44:22 > 0:44:24dare to read about the human rights demand
0:44:24 > 0:44:26or express yourself
0:44:26 > 0:44:30or your opinion or even contact Amnesty International,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32this can be considered a terrorist crime.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36The fate of Mujtaba Al-Sweikat
0:44:36 > 0:44:40has been seen as a test case for the new regime.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44In 2012, he was arrested for attending a demonstration,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47when he was just 17 years old.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Mujtaba was a very promising young student.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54He had been awarded a place to study at university in the US.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56and was actually on his way to the US
0:44:56 > 0:44:58when he was arrested from the airport,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00brutally tortured by the police,
0:45:00 > 0:45:03forced to sign a confession, and
0:45:03 > 0:45:08then later sentenced to death for attending a pro-democracy protest.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12Mujtaba Al-Sweikat is one of 14 recently sentenced to death
0:45:12 > 0:45:17for what human rights organisations describe as protest-related crimes.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20His charges include overseeing a dissident Facebook page
0:45:20 > 0:45:23and publishing photos of protests.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27His case is typical of the kind of death penalty cases
0:45:27 > 0:45:31we are seeing now increasingly in the Kingdom.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35Those young students, like Mujtaba, are brutally tortured
0:45:35 > 0:45:39and sentenced to death for calling for exactly the same things
0:45:39 > 0:45:43that the Crown Prince is saying he's in favour of.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47The Saudi Ministry of Justice maintains that all the trials
0:45:47 > 0:45:49of the 14 Saudis sentenced to death
0:45:49 > 0:45:53have met international standards for fairness and due process.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56They say the death sentences are only handed down
0:45:56 > 0:45:58for the most serious crimes.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Since the Crown Prince came to power,
0:46:02 > 0:46:06dozens of people have been detained in what UN experts have called
0:46:06 > 0:46:09a worrying clamp-down on human rights.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15What we've seen since he took office is...
0:46:18 > 0:46:21..certainly an increased use of mass executions.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24There were seven people executed on the 28th of November,
0:46:24 > 0:46:26among whom a number of those, four of them,
0:46:26 > 0:46:28were peaceful protesters.
0:46:28 > 0:46:35We're also seeing an attempt to disguise the repression
0:46:35 > 0:46:40and abuses of fundamental human rights by the Crown Prince,
0:46:40 > 0:46:44disguise it in this guise of countering terrorism.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46He's trying to be the ally of the West.
0:46:46 > 0:46:51SHOUTING
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Repression in Saudi Arabia has never been at the level
0:46:55 > 0:46:57of really repressive countries.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00It is not a police state in the sense Syria or Iraq was,
0:47:00 > 0:47:02even Iran is, frankly.
0:47:02 > 0:47:07So, it is not as repressive as really repressive states are,
0:47:08 > 0:47:10but obviously, it does not have the political freedom
0:47:10 > 0:47:11that the West does.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20For political and economic reasons, Western governments have long
0:47:20 > 0:47:23tolerated the House of Saud's record on human rights.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28I have sat around the Situation Room table
0:47:28 > 0:47:30in the West Wing of the White House,
0:47:30 > 0:47:32where we've grappled with precisely these issues.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35You know, isn't it time that we finally told Country X,
0:47:35 > 0:47:37"This is it"?
0:47:37 > 0:47:38OK, well, then what?
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Well, Country X then goes to Russia, they go to China,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45or they go somewhere else, and then we've lost whatever
0:47:45 > 0:47:48influence we had, however inadequate it may be.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51No country is ever perfect.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Saudi Arabia certainly has its imperfections, its flaws,
0:47:54 > 0:47:57but at the end of the day, I would judge that they are a flawed
0:47:57 > 0:48:02friend and that others in the region are our adversaries and our enemies.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09Few things have focused attention
0:48:09 > 0:48:11on the West's support for Saudi Arabia
0:48:11 > 0:48:13like the brutal war in Yemen.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20The Saudi coalition has been led by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27The Saudis maintain they are defending
0:48:27 > 0:48:31the rightful government of Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels
0:48:31 > 0:48:33who had seized power.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42But from the outset, the Saudi-led coalition used
0:48:42 > 0:48:46its air superiority to bomb suspected rebels.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50Reports emerged of civilians being targeted.
0:48:54 > 0:48:59The Saudi government and the rebels have been accused of war crimes.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04What we have documented in multiple investigations in Yemen,
0:49:04 > 0:49:09on the ground, is that this war has been characterised
0:49:09 > 0:49:12by a very widespread and systematic pattern
0:49:12 > 0:49:16of indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas,
0:49:16 > 0:49:20in some cases deliberate bombardment of civilian areas,
0:49:20 > 0:49:22that has killed thousands of civilians.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28In 2015, in Geneva,
0:49:28 > 0:49:30the head of the UN Human Rights Council
0:49:30 > 0:49:34called for an independent international investigation
0:49:34 > 0:49:37into war crimes committed by both sides.
0:49:44 > 0:49:45But there was a problem.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Saudi Arabia is one of the 47 countries
0:49:48 > 0:49:51on the United Nations' Human Rights Council.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57Saudi Arabia's effort to seek leadership
0:49:57 > 0:49:59in the UN Human Rights Council
0:49:59 > 0:50:02came basically at the same time that Saudi Arabia
0:50:02 > 0:50:06was putting out an ad to hire more executioners, by sort,
0:50:06 > 0:50:07for beheading its citizens,
0:50:07 > 0:50:09or ex-pats, who are sentenced to die.
0:50:09 > 0:50:15I mean, this is a real contradiction here in terms of,
0:50:15 > 0:50:19on the one hand, Saudi Arabia's international legitimacy
0:50:19 > 0:50:23and acceptance by, you know,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26some of the most prominent leaders in the UN system
0:50:26 > 0:50:30while at the same time chopping people's heads off for doing things
0:50:30 > 0:50:32that we don't even define as crimes here, in the West.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36In terms of why the Saudis want to be on the Human Rights Council,
0:50:36 > 0:50:37I think it's very simple -
0:50:37 > 0:50:40they want to block any efforts to shine the light on themselves
0:50:40 > 0:50:42and some of their other allies
0:50:42 > 0:50:45who have horrific human rights records.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Clear and simple. It's not for good reasons.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54Keith Harper was the US ambassador to the Council at the time.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00I think that countries like Saudi Arabia being
0:51:00 > 0:51:03on the Human Rights Council undermines the Council.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06And I think it makes it a weaker institution
0:51:06 > 0:51:10and it makes it an institution that can be...
0:51:10 > 0:51:12..whose veracity can be more greatly questioned.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15And I think that that undermines human rights, ultimately,
0:51:15 > 0:51:20when countries like Saudi Arabia are on the Human Rights Council.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26Saudi Arabia's presence on the UN Human Rights Council
0:51:26 > 0:51:30helped block the independent international investigation.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36A Yemeni government investigation went ahead instead.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39We did not block an independent investigation of the UN.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42The norm at the UN is that such investigations are carried
0:51:42 > 0:51:46by the competent leader authority of the land.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50If that authority is unable or unwilling to conduct
0:51:50 > 0:51:54that investigation, then the UN may step in and provide such...
0:51:54 > 0:51:56such an investigation.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59SHOUTING
0:51:59 > 0:52:03For two years, the bitter war has raged in Yemen,
0:52:03 > 0:52:06with the Saudi coalition backed and armed by the British
0:52:06 > 0:52:08and American governments.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17In October 2016,
0:52:17 > 0:52:21a funeral in the Yemeni capital Sana'a was hit by a Saudi jet.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26140 were killed, 500 injured.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30SHOUTING
0:52:40 > 0:52:42We have investigated those cases.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45In some of them, we have acknowledged responsibility
0:52:45 > 0:52:48and we have taken measures to address
0:52:48 > 0:52:51the results of the incident.
0:52:51 > 0:52:57We do not deny that there may have been some cases in which errors
0:52:57 > 0:53:03have been made, but those who say otherwise are respectfully
0:53:03 > 0:53:08requested to present their case to us, and we'll take a look at it.
0:53:10 > 0:53:11As the war escalated,
0:53:11 > 0:53:15missiles were fired towards Saudi Arabia by Houthi rebels.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21A Saudi-led blockade on the main ports of Yemen
0:53:21 > 0:53:24has lead to starvation and an outbreak of cholera.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45After two years of wrangling,
0:53:45 > 0:53:47the United Nations Human Rights Council
0:53:47 > 0:53:50has finally passed a resolution -
0:53:50 > 0:53:56an independent investigation into war crimes will now be undertaken.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01But around 10,000 civilians have already died in Yemen.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17For decades, through years of extraordinary global changes,
0:54:17 > 0:54:21the House of Saud has offered stability in a volatile region.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29But in just a few months,
0:54:29 > 0:54:32a 32-year-old Crown Prince has changed all that.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38Mohammad bin Salman has pledged to end Islamic extremism.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad
0:54:48 > 0:54:51have taken dozens and dozens of measures
0:54:51 > 0:54:53to crack down on terrorists,
0:54:53 > 0:54:56on terrorists cells and terror financing.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59They have dismissed thousands of imams and teachers
0:54:59 > 0:55:01who espouse extremist views.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05He has launched a crackdown on corruption,
0:55:05 > 0:55:09with hundreds detained, including ministers, billionaires
0:55:09 > 0:55:11and members of his own family.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Well, this is a monumental shift in the way the government is
0:55:16 > 0:55:17tackling corruption.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19In the past, the government has fought corruption,
0:55:19 > 0:55:21but they were always half measures.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24What's happening today is that the government is sending
0:55:24 > 0:55:26a very clear message, that corruption will not be tolerated,
0:55:26 > 0:55:29regardless of who's behind it.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32He has begun a process of economic and social reform.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35I think there's actually a veritable revolution
0:55:35 > 0:55:36in Saudi Arabia right now.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38There's a revolution in governance,
0:55:38 > 0:55:40the social/religious context,
0:55:40 > 0:55:43there's a revolution in the economic sector
0:55:43 > 0:55:46that's driving the need for all of these others.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49I think now there's leadership, there's decisiveness,
0:55:49 > 0:55:51there's determination.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53Concrete action has been taken.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56May it run over a few people or hit a few potholes? Maybe,
0:55:56 > 0:55:59but it's in the right direction.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02The Crown Prince's reforms have been welcomed in the West.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05But the House of Saud has now entered
0:56:05 > 0:56:08a period of unprecedented instability.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13There is no sign that the political sphere is opening up
0:56:13 > 0:56:15to our new ideas.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18In fact, what we have is a regression into a very,
0:56:18 > 0:56:21very repressive absolute monarchy
0:56:21 > 0:56:24with no freedom of speech whatsoever.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27THEY CHANT
0:56:27 > 0:56:29The Crown Prince,
0:56:29 > 0:56:31he has the Armed Forces,
0:56:31 > 0:56:32the security services,
0:56:32 > 0:56:35the intelligence services, the police,
0:56:35 > 0:56:37everyone under his command.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41It reflects a generational change in leadership.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45It's risky, it's unprecedented,
0:56:45 > 0:56:48and where it will lead, no-one can say.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56It is aggressive, it is assertive,
0:56:56 > 0:57:00and it is getting itself stuck into some real conundrums in the region.
0:57:00 > 0:57:04And all of a sudden, we don't quite know where this goes.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06SHOUTING
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Saudi Arabia today is at a crossroads.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13Its foreign policy has a series of disastrous ventures.
0:57:13 > 0:57:18Its economy has flat lined, going into recession.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22You can see the perfect storm forming around Saudi Arabia.
0:57:23 > 0:57:28A 32-year-old prince now holds the fate of the world's most powerful
0:57:28 > 0:57:30family in his hands.
0:57:34 > 0:57:39I think we should very much want him, want his country to succeed.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42If something happens to Saudi Arabia,
0:57:42 > 0:57:45this would be catastrophic for the region
0:57:45 > 0:57:47and frankly catastrophic for the world.