When world leaders gather virtually for the Group of 20 summit this weekend, they’ll do so despite a monthslong campaign from activists urging participants to boycott the annual event or risk sidelining calls to address Saudi Arabia’s abysmal human rights record.
For Saudi Arabia, the first Arab country to ever host the annual meeting of the world’s largest economies, the G-20 is an opportunity to showcase recent social and economic reforms. For human rights campaigners, it's a venue for attempted image-laundering.