he Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as it is formally known, is perhaps one of the most egregious violators of human freedom and personal sovereignty in not only the Middle East, but across the globe.

Backed by the Holy Koran as its constitution, Saudi Arabia is governed by the Al Saud royal family (the word "family" would be more accurately represented with "family males") who comprise roughly 6,000 members out of the total 23 million citizens in the country. A common misconception is that the Saudi government is a theocracy, when in fact the government is a traditional monarchy. The royal family is also fabulously wealthy due to vast oil resources, whereas the majority of Saudi Arabian citizens are abjectly poor. This disconnection is an immense source of tension and animus among the Saudis toward leaders.

More importantly, the members of the royal family follow the Wahhabi sect of Islam, that among other things, believes all amended teachings and interpretations to the Koran after the 3rd century of the Muslim Area (circa 950) are invalid. Thus, the Wahhabi outlook can be justifiably classified as backward.

In 1992, Saudi Arabia adopted the "Basic Law", a document which codified Saudi law and granted total authority to the royal family to govern the country based on the teachings of the Sharia (Islamic Law), with the Koran serving as the constitution. In some sense, the king's powers are limited since he must act in accordance with the Koran, but those limitations are usually not on his power to oppress, but on his power to adapt and modernize.

The king must also garner the support of the royal family and the religious leaders or "ulema." Saudi kings listen to the Council of Ministers (whose members are appointed by the king) for advice on economic and other national affairs. Legislation is ratified by the Council, approved by royal decree and must be in concert with the Sharia.

There is a system of religious courts that are responsible for adjudicating disputes and administering justice. The king appoints the justices, who are then granted additional approval by the Supreme Judicial Council composed of 12 senior jurists. Again, their decisions must be in agreement with the teachings of the Sharia.

Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 provinces whose governors are not only appointed by the king, but are either close relatives or princes.

Political parties are completely outlawed and there are no national elections. There is also no official or coherent method of transfer of power from one king to the next, which opens the possibility of fierce struggles for power. The family collectively selecting a successor is the usual transfer process. However, assassination and intra-family realpolitik have become the preferred method.

Saudi citizens generally experience almost no tangible freedoms. Freedom of expression is almost non-existent. According to Freedom House:

The government owns all domestic broadcast media, closely monitors privately owned (but publicly subsidized) print media, has the authority to remove all editors in chief, routinely censors domestic and foreign publications, and restricts the entry of foreign journalists into the country.

Additionally, Internet access to all web sites that are considered offensive to Islam or the royal family are blocked.

With respect to the judiciary, trials are often held in secret and convictions based on forced confessions are routine. Additionally, the Sharia allows for corporal and other forms of crude punishment, including public beheadings and stoning for women guilty of infidelity. There is also reports of widespread arbitrary arrest, protracted pretrial detention and torture from security officials.

Freedom of religion is also highly limited to those who are not Wahhabi-practicing Sunnis. The public expressions of religious beliefs not ascribing to Islam are strictly forbidden (though private worship is tolerated). Religions such as Christianity and Judaism, while not totally outlawed, are heavily frowned upon as evidenced by Saudi Arabia's population being 100% Muslim. Shiite Muslims also face discrimination in the public sector and restrictions on public display of religious belief as well. Moreover, the testimony of Shiite clerics in judicial proceedings is often discounted.

There is extensive gender discrimination in the Saudi kingdom. Women are almost always the responsibility of a male member of their family: daughters are the domain of their fathers, wives of their husbands, and widows of their sons. Women are forbidden from obtaining an identification card, an exit visa or to be admitted to a hospital without the consent of her guardian. In March 2002, Saudi authorities refused to allow the exit of females not wearing their abaya (the black garment covering much of their body and face) from a burning building since such displays of the female face are banned.

Economically, Saudi citizens are subjected to royal decree. According to Article 18 of the Basic Law, the state can expropriate private property anytime it is in the "public interest." Article 14 contends:

All God-given resources of the country, both under and above ground, or in territorial waters...to which the State jurisdiction extends, as well as the revenues accruing therefrom shall be owned by the State...

What is more, workers are unable to participate in any trade unions or strikes. 60 percent of Saudi Arabia's workforce is foreign, but they are not protected under any labor law. The result of policies such as these have been the decline of per capita income from $28,000 in the early 1980s to the present day $12,000. Unemployment, which is steadily rising, has reached levels upwards of 35%.

Social and political reforms have been slow to materialize. Crown Prince Abdullah, the second in command of Saudi Arabia, has attempted to persuade the royal family for reforms in recent years, but has faced stiff resistance from older members of the ruling elite. Experts believe reforms to the legal and banking system have been slow because greater visibility of the Saudi government would cause royal patronage networks to be exposed.

Thus, Saudi Arabia clearly offers little in the way of freedom. Whether it is religiously, politically, socially or economically, citizens of Saudi Arabia have no mode of determining the course in their life outside the Sharia or the whim of the royal family. Saudi Arabia's insistence on thwarting progress as a means of appeasing ancient Islamic code is both impractical and morally questionable.

ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY freedomhouse.org AND state.gov.