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Categorizing Feminism, Atheism, Homosexuality as Crimes Exposes Saudi Arabia's Dangerous Intolerance
Responding to an official announcement and a promotional video published by Saudi Arabia's state security agency which categorizes feminism, homosexuality and atheism as "extremist ideas," Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Director, said:
"The Saudi state security agency's announcement which labels feminism, atheism and homosexuality as extremist ideas punishable by jail and flogging is outrageous - clearly contradicting the Kingdom's bogus reformist image which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues to flaunt internationally.
WASHINGTON
Responding to an official announcement and a promotional video published by Saudi Arabia's state security agency which categorizes feminism, homosexuality and atheism as "extremist ideas," Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Director, said:
"The Saudi state security agency's announcement which labels feminism, atheism and homosexuality as extremist ideas punishable by jail and flogging is outrageous - clearly contradicting the Kingdom's bogus reformist image which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues to flaunt internationally.
"Feminism, atheism and homosexuality are not criminal acts. This announcement is extremely dangerous and has serious implications for the rights to freedom of expression and life, liberty and security in the country. It peels away the veneer of progress under Mohammed bin Salman and reveals the Kingdom's true intolerant face which criminalizes people's identities, as well as progressive and reformist thoughts and ideas at home.
"International silence in the face of the imprisonment of dozens of peaceful Saudi dissidents for their expression is also alarming. Key allies such as the U.S., UK and EU must pressure the Kingdom and highlight the urgent need to protect freedom of expression in the country starting with the release of imprisoned human rights defenders and anyone detained for their peaceful expression."
Background:
Atheism is illegal and is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. While punishments for same sex relations are not codified under the law in Saudi Arabia, they are strictly prohibited under Shari'a (Islamic law) which Saudi Arabia draws from for its legal framework.
Recent reforms of the male guardianship system and other laws which discriminated against women - such as the lifting of a ban on female drivers - are a testament to the tireless work of feminists and long-standing activist voices who are now locked up or who continue to be prosecuted in the country.
Since May 2018, 13 women activists, including Loujain al-Hathloul, Samar Badawi and Naseema al-Sada who remain in detention, have been on trial for their human rights activism and their work to promote women's rights. Fourteen other writers, activists and family members of women's rights activists remain in detention without trial since April 2019. Many of them are supporters of the women's rights movement.
This statement is available at: https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/categorizing-feminism-atheism-homosexuality-as-crimes-exposes-saudi-arabias-dangerous-intolerance
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Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people - no matter who they are or where they are. We are the world's largest grassroots human rights organization.
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'The Actions of a Rogue State': US Lawmakers Demand Emergency Vote to Stop Trump War on Venezuela
"Trump has no right to take us to war with Venezuela. This is reckless and illegal," said Rep. Greg Casar. "Congress should vote immediately on a War Powers Resolution to stop him."
Jan 03, 2026
Members of the US Congress on Saturday demanded emergency legislative action to prevent the Trump administration from taking further military action in Venezuela after the president threatened a "second wave" of attacks and said the US will control the South American country's government indefinitely.
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), said that "Congress should vote immediately on a War Powers Resolution to stop" President Donald Trump, whose administration has for months unlawfully bombed boats in international waters and threatened a direct military assault on Venezuela without lawmakers' approval.
"Trump has no right to take us to war with Venezuela. This is reckless and illegal," said Casar. "My entire life, politicians have been sending other people’s kids to die in reckless regime change wars. Enough. No new wars."
Another prominent CPC member, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), said in response to the bombing of Venezuela and capture of its president that "these are the actions of a rogue state."
"Trump’s illegal and unprovoked bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of its president are grave violations of international law and the US Constitution," Tlaib wrote on social media. "The American people do not want another regime change war abroad."
Progressives weren't alone in criticizing the administration's unauthorized military action in Venezuela. Establishment Democrats, including Sen. Adam Schiff of California and others, also called for urgent congressional action in the face of Trump's latest unlawful bombing campaign.
"Without congressional approval or the buy-in of the public, Trump risks plunging a hemisphere into chaos and has broken his promise to end wars instead of starting them," Schiff said in a statement. "Congress must bring up a new War Powers Resolution and reassert its power to authorize force or to refuse to do so. We must speak for the American people who profoundly reject being dragged into new wars."
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said he will force a Senate vote next week on a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to block additional US military action in Venezuela.
"Where will this go next?" Kaine asked in a statement. "Will the president deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza? To battle terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama Canal? To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies? Trump has threatened to do all this and more and sees no need to seek legal authorization from people’s elected legislature before putting servicemembers at risk."
“It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy, and trade," Kaine added. "My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week."
The lawmakers' push for legislative action came as Trump clearly indicated that his administration isn't done intervening in Venezuela's internal politics—and plans to exploit the country's vast oil reserves.
During a press conference on Saturday, Trump said that the US "is going to run" Venezuela, signaling the possibility of a troop deployment.
"We're not afraid of boots on the ground," the president said in response to a reporter's question, adding vaguely that his administration is "designating various people" to run the government.
Whether the GOP-controlled Congress acts to constrain the Trump administration will depend on support from Republicans, who have largely applauded the US attack on Venezuela and capture of Maduro. In separate statements, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) described the operation as "decisive" and justified.
Ahead of Saturday's assault, the Republican-controlled Congress rejected War Powers Resolutions aimed at preventing Trump from launching a war on Venezuela without lawmakers' approval.
One Republican lawmaker who had raised constitutional concerns about Saturday's actions, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, appeared to drop them after a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
But Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) noted in a statement that both Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "looked every senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change."
"I didn’t trust them then, and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress," said Kim. "Trump rejected our constitutionally required approval process for armed conflict because the administration knows the American people overwhelmingly reject risks pulling our nation into another war."
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'We Are Going to Run the Country,' Trump Says of Venezuela After Maduro Abduction
The US president said American fossil fuel companies will "go in and spend billions of dollars" in Venezuela, which has the largest known oil reserves in the world.
Jan 03, 2026
Update:
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the US intends to control Venezuela until a "proper transition can take place," indicating that the bombing of the South American country and abduction of its president were just the start of the Trump administration's illegal intervention there.
"We are going to run the country," Trump said during a press conference at his Florida resort, flanked by top US officials. Asked to elaborate, Trump said his administration is in the process of "designating various people" to run the government, adding that "we're not afraid of boots on the ground."
The president went on to say that US forces are prepared to launch "a much larger attack" on Venezuela if he deems it necessary, threatening other political figures in the country.
"What happened to Maduro can happen to them," he said.
Trump also declared that American fossil fuel companies will "go in and spend billions of dollars" in Venezuela, which has the largest known oil reserves in the world.
Earlier:
President Donald Trump is set to hold a press conference late Saturday morning at his Mar-a-Lago resort hours after US forces bombed Venezuela and abducted the nation's president, Nicolás Maduro, who is being taken to New York to face new federal charges.
The press conference is scheduled to begin at 11 am ET, and it comes as Trump is facing backlash at home and around the world for launching an illegal regime-change war.
Watch live:
In a Fox News appearance ahead of the press conference, Trump brushed aside criticism from Democratic lawmakers and others who said the US bombing of Venezuela and abduction of its president were illegal.
Democratic lawmakers expressing that view are "weak, stupid people," the president said, declaring that the actions he approved without congressional authorization and in violation of international law should be applauded.
“They should say, 'Great job,'” Trump said. “They shouldn’t say, ‘Oh, gee, maybe it’s not constitutional.’ You know the same old stuff that we’ve been hearing for years and years and years.”
Trump went on to declare that the US will "be involved" in Venezuela's political future following Maduro's abduction. Asked if he would throw his support behind right-wing opposition leader María Corina Machado, the US president said, "We have to look at it."
"They have a vice president, as you know," said Trump, referring to Delcy Rodríguez, who is next in line to take power.
An indictment unsealed Saturday morning shows that Maduro, his wife, and top Venezuelan officials will face federal drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges.
The document characterizes Maduro as "previously the president of Venezuela."
CNN reported that the raid resulting in Maduro and his wife's capture was carried out by the US Army's elite Delta Force.
"The couple was captured in the middle of the night as they were sleeping," the outlet reported, citing unnamed sources. "A team of FBI agents was with the US special operation forces who carried out the capture."
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'This Is State Terrorism': Global Outrage as Trump Launches Illegal Assault on Venezuela
"It is brutal imperialist aggression," said former Bolivian President Evo Morales.
Jan 03, 2026
The Trump administration's military assault on Venezuela and apparent abduction of the country's president in the early hours of Saturday morning sparked immediate backlash from leaders in Latin America and across the globe, with lawmakers, activists, and experts accusing the US of launching yet another illegal war of aggression.
Latin American leaders portrayed the assault as a continuation of the long, bloody history of US intervention in the region, which has included vicious military coups and material support for genocidal right-wing forces.
"This is state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote in a social media post, demanding urgent action from the international community in response to the "criminal attack."
Evo Morales, the leftist former president of Bolivia, said that "we strongly and unequivocally repudiate" the US attack on Venezuela.
"It is brutal imperialist aggression that violates its sovereignty," Morales added. "All our solidarity with the Venezuelan people in resistance."
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, one of the first world leaders to respond to Saturday's developments, decried US "aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America." Petro said Colombian forces "are being deployed" to the nation's border with Venezuela and that "all available support forces will be deployed in the event of a massive influx of refugees."
"Without sovereignty, there is no nation," said Petro. "Peace is the way, and dialogue between peoples is fundamental for national unity. Dialogue and more dialogue is our proposal."
The presidents of Chile and Mexico similarly condemned the assault as a violation of Venezuela's sovereignty and international law.
"Based on its foreign policy principles and pacifist vocation, Mexico urgently calls for respect for international law, as well as the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, and to cease any act of aggression against the Venezuelan government and people," the Mexican government said in a statement. "Latin America and the Caribbean is a zone of peace, built on mutual respect, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the prohibition of the use and threat of force, and therefore any military action puts regional stability at serious risk."
One Latin American leader, far-right Argentine president and Trump ally Javier Milei, openly celebrated the alleged US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, declaring on social media, "FREEDOM ADVANCES."
Leaders and lawmakers in Europe also reacted to the US bombings. Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, issued a cautious statement calling for "deescalation and responsibility."
British MP Zarah Sultana was far more forceful, writing on social media that "Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves—and that’s no coincidence."
"This is naked US imperialism: an illegal assault on Caracas aimed at overthrowing a sovereign government and plundering its resources," Sultana added.
This story has been updated to include statements from the presidents of Chile and Mexico.
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