Architecture studios working on Saudi giga-project Neom are maintaining their silence over human rights concerns despite mounting pressure from campaigners. Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft reports.
Following recent reporting by the BBC alleging that Saudi forces permitted the use of lethal force to clear land for the project, human rights organisations told Dezeen that architecture studios "can't ignore" abuses connected to Neom anymore, and must "urgently reflect" on their involvement in the project.
"Architecture firms working on Neom cannot pretend anymore"
Human rights organisation ALQST drew attention to reports that three men forcibly evicted from the Neom site have been sentenced to death. "Architecture firms working on Neom cannot pretend anymore not to know that they are working on land on which the local inhabitants have been either killed, arrested, sentenced to death or forcibly displaced," ALQST head of monitoring and advocacy Lina Alhathloul told Dezeen.
"They should urgently reflect upon their legal and moral responsibilities under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and relevant company commitments, and indeed reassess their involvement on the project entirely unless the adverse human rights impact can be addressed."

Read: Saudi Arabia authorised "lethal force" for Neom land clearance reports BBC

Human rights group Amnesty Internatio...