The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) confirmed here today before a Human Rights Council session, that it is always working to modernize its national laws and regulations, in line with its international obligations, as far as they do not violate Islamic law and contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights. The Kingdom's ambassador to the United Nations Office, in Geneva, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Wasel, said in a statement: that "The Kingdom has taken significant steps through the Vision of the Kingdom 2030, during the past few years, in various domains related to the human rights. He pointed out that the investigation into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi is still ongoing and that any provocation in international forums does not serve the course of the ongoing investigations, in the Kingdom. Therefore, Saudi Arabia reiterates its commitment to hold accountable the perpetrators of this crime and bring them to justice, in a way that does not affect the course of the trial. Ambassador Al-Wasel affirmed that the death penalty in the Kingdom is applied only in the most serious and narrowest crimes, and that all trials of those accused of such crimes are carried out in accordance with the relevant international standards. On the other hand, he expressed grave concern at the information provided by the High Commissioner for Human Rights when she noted in her statement that there was evidence of continued persecution of the Rohingya minority, in Rakhine State, and that there were restrictions imposed by the authorities on humanitarian access to the needy, in the Rakhine region, calling on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and press the Myanmar government to end these violations. The Ambassador expressed deep regret over the disregard of the statement of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the suffering of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, stressing the importance of the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, renewing the Kingdom's support for the Palestinian people's right to sovereignty over its occupied territories, since June 1967, and its right to establish an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds (East Jerusalem), as its capital.
