US President Biden visit to Saudi Arabia a 'betrayal' and 'big mistake', say Riyadh critics

Human rights advocates and US lawmakers have condemned US President Joe Biden's plans to visit Saudi Arabia next month, calling the move a "betrayal" and "big mistake" considering Saudi Arabia's less than glowing human rights record.

The White House ended weeks of speculation on Tuesday, announcing that Biden will travel to Israel, the occupied Palestinian West Bank, and Saudi Arabia from 13 to 16 July.

Saudi Arabia has committed grave human rights abuses, including mass executions and targeted killings of its critics - including the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul in 2018.

Biden had said in the months after the murder that Saudi Arabia had become a "pariah" state, and US intelligence findings released by the Biden administration claimed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was the mastermind of the operation.

Critics of Saudi Arabia's rulers say Biden's decision to meet with the crown prince in the kingdom marks a capitulation.

Sarah Leah Whitson, the director of the Khashoggi-founded human rights organisation DAWN, told The Hill: "The capitulation of the Biden administration to reestablishing what are in fact very close and dangerous ties to Saudi Arabia is a disappointment, but it’s not really a surprise."

The slain journalist's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said earlier this month that speculation Biden would make the visit was "saddening and enraging".

Prominent human rights activist Hala Al-Dosari called Biden's decision to visit Saudi Arabia a "betrayal".

The move also garnered criticism from some US lawmakers.

US Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, a frequent critic of Saudi Arabia, told CNN's chief regional correspondent Manu Raju that the meeting was a "big mistake".

Senator Chris Murphy told CNN: "I think I need to hear more from the administration to understand what kind of commitments they've gotten from the kingdom to change their ways."

Last week, more than a dozen human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch said Biden's visit risked fostering repression and providing Saudi's rulers with "instant credibility".