Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA)
The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) is a Saudi Arabian human rights non-governmental organisation created in 2009. The 11 founders are Professor Abdulkareem Yousef al-Khathar, Dr. Abdulrahman Hamid al-Hamid, Professor Abdullah H. al-Hamid, who is a former professor of comparative literature and founding member of the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights, Fahad Abdulaziz Ali al-Orani, Fowzan Mohsen al-Harbi, Easa Hamid al-Hamid, Mhana Mohammed al-Faleh, Dr. Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani, Mohammad Hamad al-Mohaisen, Mohammed Saleh al-Bejadi and Saud Ahmed al-Doughaither. It aims to promote human rights awareness, focussing on the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international human rights instruments, it calls for an elected parliament and the creation of legal institutions to support transparency and accountability. The ACPRA also calls for laws to protect minority rights and intends to document human rights violations.
Human rights defenders, activists and individuals who criticise government policies or express dissent or diverging opinion to those of the authorities are subjected to harassment, surveillance, arbitrary detention, smear campaigns, prolonged and unfair trials. Family members of HRDs are also targeted and subjected to intimidation and harassment at the hands of the authorities.
