Bedouin tribesmen ‘sentenced to death’ for resisting plans for Saudi Arabia’s Neom project

Three Bedouin tribesmen in Saudi Arabia who refused to leave their homes to make way for the planned $700 billion NEOM mega city have been sentenced to death.

As reported by London newspaper The Daily Telegraph, exiled activists have advised that Shadli, Ibrahim and Ataullah al-Howeiti were condemned to death earlier this month after being jailed in 2020 for complaining about the Neom development.

It is understood one of the men posted messages on social media in which he refused to accept compensation for leaving their homes on land that is to be used for the development.

ALQST, a Saudi human rights group, wrote on Twitter “on Oct 2, the Specialised Criminal Court sentenced Shadli, Ataullah and Ibrahim Saleh al-Huwaiti to death.

“The family members were detained in 2020 for opposing eviction to make way for Neom.

“We condemn the sentences and call for their release.”

Alya Abutayah al-Howeiti, a London-based relative of the condemned men has also called for them to be set free, commenting “for three months they did a hunger strike in the prison and the government tried to push them to get their passwords for Twitter, but they refused, so that led to a death sentence without any evidence of them. Just to wipe the Al-Howeitat tribe from Neom.

“We need all the help we can get to raise awareness about what is going on. That would help us a lot."

The Daily Telegraph was not able to independently verify the sentence while Saudi Arabian authorities did not respond to a request for comment.

Neom, which is due to be completed by 2030, is a pet project of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and has been promoted as a tourism destination for Westerners.

Neom will, supposedly, feature flying cars, robotic dinosaurs, a huge artificial moon and a neighbourhood called ‘The Line’ built along a 17-kilometre stretch of desert.

However, behind the headlines, Saudi activists living in exile have been seeking to raise the alarm about the Bedouin al-Howeitat (Huwaytat) tribe, which they say has been forcibly displaced from the area.

In April 2020 Abdul Rahim al-Howeiti, the brother of Shadli, was shot dead after a row about his eviction. The family also refused compensation for his death.

Perhaps the most well-known member of the al-Howeitat tribe historically is Auda Abu Tayeh (Awda Abu Tayih) who was the leader of a section of the Bedouin Arab tribe during the Arab uprising during the First World War. 

He was portrayed by the actor Anthony Quinn in the 1962 epic historical drama film Lawrence of Arabia.

Image shows the area of Saudi Arabia, adjacent to the northern part of the Red Sea, where Neom is being built.