Amnesty pleads with Tyson Fury and Usyk to call out Saudi’s human rights issues

Amnesty International has pleaded with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to speak out against Saudi Arabia’s human rights issues.

Fury and Usyk are set to finally battle it out for the undisputed crown of the heavyweight division after signing their fight contracts. They are expected to fight on December 23 this year, with the Saudi capital of Riyadh hosting the blockbuster event.

The Gypsy King has already boasted about signing the “biggest boxing deal in history”, claiming that the figures involved exceed even those earned by Saudi Pro League stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo. But human rights organisation Amnesty International has responded by highlighting the moral issues with Saudi hosting such an event.

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The organisation slammed the Middle-Eastern nation for employing “sports-washing” tactics. And it called upon British boxer Fury and Ukrainian fighter Usyk to use their platforms to bring attention to the country's human rights record.

Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK’s Head of Priority Campaigns and Individuals at Risk, said: “Ever since Anthony Joshua’s fight against Andy Ruiz in 2019 we’ve become used to these big-money bouts being hosted in Saudi Arabia, and they’re clearly part of a pattern of sports-washing where the Saudi authorities try to use sport to distract from their appalling human rights record.

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“Both Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk should understand how they this fight will be used by the Saudi authorities to project a glitzy image of the country a world away from the dark reality of being jailed for voicing your opinion, of widespread torture, unfair trials and mass executions.

“Among many other cases, the retired Saudi teacher Mohammad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi has recently been sentenced to death for his peaceful remarks on Twitter and YouTube, and the Leeds University PhD student Salma al-Shehab is languishing in jail for daring to tweet about women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.

“We’d like to see both Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk using their platforms to speak out about human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, something the entire Saudi population is unable to do without risking jail or worse.”

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Saudi Arabia since the aforementioned Joshua fight has become the hub for some of the world’s biggest sporting events. That has not been without widespread criticism, however.

LIV Golf – funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund – was slammed by high-profile figures but gradually became a dominant force in the sport after attracting an increasing number of European and American stars with huge payouts.

Similar concerns have been raised since the Saudi Pro League, which has four PIF-owned teams, began to ramp up its signing of football’s most-well known stars . Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was one of those accused of turning his back on the LGBTQ community by signing for Saudi outfit Al-Ettifaq in the summer, though he claimed he hopes to create “positive change” with his move.

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