The dynamic of 2025 in Saudi Arabia between the United Nations counter-terrorism system and Saudi Arabia symbolizes that a rising conflict exists between the goals of global security and human rights. Being a key financial contributor and a strategic partner in the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the forceful actors in designing the programs in the UN. But this power has led to fears of abuse of international counter terrorism systems to justify oppression domestically.
Expanding Security Powers Under Domestic Law
The Law on the Fight against Crimes of Terrorism and Its Financing, adopted by the Kingdom in 2017, places in the hands of the Presidency of State Security (PSS) the power to monitor, detain, and prosecute at will. The law has been criticized by several UN Special Rapporteurs who believe that it is empowering authorities to exercise near unchecked powers allowing the criminalization of peaceful speech and activism under the umbrella term of terrorism.
Suppression Under Security Justifications
The cases of activists, journalists and critics being jailed without being allowed to undergo due process on cases related to terrorism have been replicated severally by the human rights bodies and UN experts. The PSS has been associated with arbitrary detention facilities, torture allegations and abuses which are against the principles of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which demands respecting human rights coupled with the countering of security threats.
Saudi Arabia’s Financial Leverage Within UN Counter-Terrorism
Saudi Arabia is still the biggest contributor to the UNCCT with an amount of about 110 million dollars and close to 70 percent of the total amount of money of the organization. This fiscal burden gives the Kingdom inappropriate leverage in setting priorities and making strategy decisions.
Strategic Influence On UN Programs
Saudi Arabia, in its advisory capacities and through its leadership in the counter-terror structure, has influenced programs that usually do not have independent human rights controls. In 2023, an UN audit warned that dependency and financing anything can lead to institutional autonomy, a message that acquired even more urgent significance in 2025 as activities were further consolidated.
Cooperation With Controversial Security Leadership
UNCCT in partnership with the PSS co-organized a counter-terror financing roundtable with Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed al-Howairini, who was involved in the 2018 assassination of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. There were no voices of the civil society on the event and a promotion of the security actors with a history of abuse was a disturbing trend of blind participation.
Impact On Rights, Dissent, And Civil Society
The counter-terror mechanism used in Saudi Arabia still has an impact on journalistic circles, activists, and commentators on the Internet. The 2016-2025 opinions of the UN Working Group indicate the same results of arbitrary detention and breach of due process.
Case Studies Of Human Rights Concerns
Manahel al-Otaibi, an activist of women rights was found guilty of twitter tweets that preached reform. In June 2025, journalist Turki al-Jasser was executed after several years of imprisonment accused of numerous crimes, many of them condemned as retaliation and not justified. These instances highlight the application of counter-terror rhetoric to retaliate against peaceful speech.
Chilling Effect Across Society
The fear of reprisal influences the popular conversation, legal advocacy, and news coverage. The boundaries between security enforcement and political suppression are indistinct, leaving the civil society at greater risk coupled with diminishing the accountability possibilities.
Implications For UN Counter-Terror-Architecture
The counter-terrorism system of the UN is not immune to the issue of credibility as it tries to strike a balance between donor relations and its goal to advance human rights and the rule of law.
Institutional Pressures And Public Scrutiny
A letter dated October 2025 directly to Acting Under-Secretary-General Alexandre Zouev requested transparency in the area of UN cooperation with the PSS and requested measures to ensure the preservation of institutional independence. According to critics, the UN has acted in terms of general assurances, but not actual reforms.
Risks To Global Strategy Integrity
The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy of the UN explicitly cautions that oversight of human rights is detrimental to counter-terrorism performance. The fact that states are permitting their use of UN affiliation to enhance internal repression is contrary to the principles of the framework and may lead to undermining of the support that comes across the globe.
Wider Regional And International Consequences
The Saudi example shows how the counter-terror discourses can be manipulated to rationalize political domination, shaping regional standards.
Regional Norm-Setting And Authoritarian Emulation
The Kingdom makes an example of a way in which the state may pursue legitimacy in a region where civic space has been limited and with one that kills the opposition. It is an ailment of multilateral cooperation and exposes the civil societies to greater vulnerability.
Strategic And Security Risks
A crackdown on peaceful activism in the guise of counter-terror can also contribute to resentment radical groups use. The loss of human rights may undermine the stability in the long run and the trust of people in state organizations.
Navigating Accountability And Reform
Reform should be meaningful and this would mean that the leadership within the UN system should be able to work towards eliminating funder influence without undermining counter-terror objectives. To regain credibility, the independent monitoring, involvement of the civil society, and enhanced protection against the partnership that is abusive of the rights are necessary.
Opportunities For Institutional Realignment
The new UNOCT leaders, expected policy review, and increasing civil society involvement are windows of reconsidering UN collaboration, focusing on human rights compliance, and improving transparency in influence related to funding.
A Path Toward Responsible Security Governance
A dilemma between security and basic liberties is a key to maintaining trust in counter-terror mechanisms. The international players have the crucial challenge of demonstrating capability to stick with the standards of rights when dealing with states that are vital to global security cooperation.
The Saudi case provides a clear example of the challenges of dealing with security partnerships in the modern environment of the changing global threats. Since the scrutiny continues to increase and the debate in the UN continues to rise, the future will reveal whether counter-terrorism structures will become more accountable or continue to be abused. The consequence could have an influence on the future of multilateral governance as well as the ability of the international community to protect rights under the guise of securing the world.
