Sadi ravia ander crown prince mohammed ben salman, has launched a crack down against activists, religious figures and opponents. Any criticism of the royal family carries a prison sentence in southy arabia. Many of these people are detained without any charges. Some of them are put on trial and prosecuted for charges that i think a lot of human rights organizations would certainly think are trumped up. It really takes a much larger crime to really catch the world's attention and make people outside aware of all this repression.
In the past, President Biden has called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” for its human rights abuses and said that he would never meet with its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
But Mr. Biden’s first trip as president to the Middle East included talks with the prince. What prompted the change in course?
Guest: Ben Hubbard, the Beirut bureau chief for The New York Times.
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