BRUSSELS — The head of Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission (HRC) Dr. Hala Al-Tuwaijri has emphasized the importance of dealing with human rights objectively and non-selectivity in applying its standards. HRC President made the remarks as she led Saudi Arabia's delegation participating in the 3rd round of the joint human rights dialogue between the Kingdom and the European Union. The European Union, which hosts the 3rd round in Brussels, is headed by the EU's Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore. The HRC president reviewed the most notable reforms and developments achieved in the field of human rights in Saudi Arabia within the period between the 2nd and 3rd rounds. She pointed out that the reforms in the Kingdom included developing a legislative and regulatory regime through reviewing, issuing and amending many laws, the civil transactions system, and the rights system for persons with disabilities. Dr. Al-Tuwaijri highlighted Saudi Arabia's hosting of the International Conference on Women in Islam: Status and Empowerment, which resulted in issuing the official document of the conference, titled "The Jeddah Document for Women in Islam", which contributed largely to confronting the challenges related to women's rights in Islamic societies. She stressed the need to completely distinguish freedom of opinion and expression from hate speech, extremism, and incitement to violence and terrorism, which is what international human rights standards stipulate. The HRC president also touched on the situation in Gaza, stating, "The killing of innocent people, including children and women, the destruction of infrastructure and forced displacement is unfortunate", especially since this coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). For his part, EU's Special Representative for Human Rights reviewed the most prominent developments achieved in the field of human rights in the Union. The two sides discussed a number of topics related to human rights, exchanging opinions and ideas about best experiences and practices. Dr. Al-Tuwaijri also held a bilateral meeting with Gilmore, where the two sides discussed aspects of constructive cooperation in various fields, especially in the field of promoting and protecting human rights.
