UN human rights experts on Wednesday condemned the imminent execution of three Saudi tribesmen who protested against the Neom metropolis project the regime wants to build on the Red Sea, AFP reported.

Three members of the Huwaytat tribe, who live in the desert area of ​​northwestern Saudi Arabia where Neom, the $500 billion futuristic metropolis wanted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is being built face “imminent danger” of execution, a dozen independent experts have warned.

“They were accused of terrorism, but in reality they were allegedly arrested for opposing the forced evacuation of the Neom project and the construction of a 170-kilometer linear city called The Line,” the statement said.

The three men, Shadli Ahmad Mahmoud Abu Taqika al-Huwayti, Ibrahim Salih Ahmad Abu Khalil al-Huwayti and Atalla Mussa Mohammed al-Huwayti, were sentenced to death on August 5 and the sentences were confirmed on January 23, the statement said. .

“According to international law, states that have not yet abolished the death penalty can apply it only for the “most serious crimes” that involve intentional murder,” the experts noted.

“We do not believe that the charges brought against them meet this threshold,” the experts added. Three other members of the Huweitat tribe were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from 27 to 50 years.

Experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, but not acting on behalf of the UN, complained that the six had been charged under an “overly vague” 2017 counter-terrorism law.

They also demanded that the Saudi authorities investigate allegations that some of the detainees were tortured and review their sentences.

They also expressed concern about the Neom project as a whole, with human rights groups accusing Saudi authorities of serious violations.

The Riyadh regime is suspected of evicting members of the Huweitat tribe from their homes in three villages, often without adequate compensation, and reportedly brutally repressing those who resist or peacefully oppose the evictions.

In 2020, a member of the Huweitat tribe was shot after he refused to give up his land.

All companies, including foreign investors, participating in the project must “ensure that they do not cause or contribute to (…) serious violations of human rights,” the experts added.​

The largest building in the world – between science fiction and reality

Saudi Arabia is moving ahead with an ambitious plan to build the world’s largest structure in the kingdom’s northwest, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported after reviewing hundreds of pages of confidential planning documents that revealed the plan’s configuration for the first time. Al Jazeera.

According to documents seen by the WSJ, the mirrored skyscrapers will stretch parallel for 120 km and accommodate five million people.

The structure, known as the Mirror Line, will consist of two reflective glass buildings up to 488 meters high that will run parallel for 120 kilometers, crossing coastal, mountainous and desert terrain.

Both buildings will be connected by pedestrian paths, and a high-speed train will pass under them. When completed, the structure is expected to cost a whopping $1 trillion and accommodate five million people who will be able to travel from one end to the other within 20 minutes.

Neom, the legendary legacy of MbS

The building is the epicenter of Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman’s zero-carbon “smart city” project called Neom, which will cost another $500 billion to build and is the size of the US state of Massachusetts.

Neom is owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and is part of a program called Saudi Vision 2030, a plan to diversify the Saudi economy and reduce its dependence on oil.