Saudi Arabia

U.S. President Donald Trump with the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh, May 2017.

Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a US-backed quasi-fascist absolute monarchy in the Middle East. In its war against Yemen, it has killed or injured over 18,000 civilians.[1] Saudi Arabia can be considered a totalitarian dictatorship and is widely considered to have the worst human rights record in the world. Saudi Arabia does not hold any elections and is one of only 11 nations in the world that do not even claim to be democratic (and is the largest out of them).

Map of Nations by Democracy *Claim*

Up to 40% of the Saudi population consists of foreign migrant workers, mostly from South Asia and other Arab states. Foreign workers make up over 80% of the private sector workforce and are subject to more exploitative migration policies, labor laws, and work contracts than those in Western countries and even other Gulf monarchies. Temporary exit visas are difficult to obtain, highly subject to the consent of the migrant's employer, and last for only 30 days unless extended by the employer. A migrant worker who does not return within this period, or who emigrates via a non-temporary exit visa before their labor contract has expired, is permanently banned from working in Saudi Arabia.