10 examples of human rights abuses by Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia remains a member of the United Nations human rights council despite its poor record

Protests in Germany in support of the blogger Raif Badawi (Carsten Koall/Getty Images )

Saudi Arabia's human rights record has been called into question after the news that 47 people were executed in one day.

The country remains a member of the United Nations human rights council despite making extensive use of the death penalty and carrying out dozens of public executions.

It is just one of serveral human rights violations in a country where women face discrimination both in law and practice and those from the Shia minority have limited access to government services and employment.

Authorities have also detained and deported thousands of foreign migrants to free up jobs for citizens. The Interior Ministry has stated that authorities have expelled over 370,000 foreign migrants in the preceding five months and that 18,000 others are currently in detention.

Thousands of workers were returned to states where they were at risk of human rights abuses. Many reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into severely overcrowded detention facilities, where they received little food and water and were abused by guards.

Click through the gallery below for 10 examples of human rights abuses in the kingdom.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also banned all public gatherings in 2011. Anyone who defies the ban faces immediate arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges of “inciting people against the authorities”.