Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Dead at 90

King Abdullah, leader of Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most repressive regimes, has passed away at the age of 90.

The Associated Press reports that Abdullah will be replaced by his 79-year-old half brother Prince Salman. Abdullah became king in 1995 after a stroke left the king at the time unable to carry out his duties.

The AP notes that Abdullah made small changes that brought Saudi Arabia somewhat closer to international social norms. For example, he appointed a woman as a deputy minister and allowed some women to become lawyers. He also allowed two women to compete in the 2012 Olympics.

At the same time, it is still illegal for women to drive, and most women must be with or have the permission of a male family member to venture out into public.

Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries where there is only one acceptable religion and every other religion is outlawed. The judicial code in Saudi Arabia is also extremely harsh. Thieves can have their hands cut off, regardless of the value of what they stole.

As with religion, there is no freedom of speech. People who question the regime or stand up for human rights are regularly imprisoned for years. Saudi Arabia also regularly lashes such dissidents.

There is currently an ongoing campaign to stop the whipping of Raif Badawi, a blogger and activist. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for trying to nurture open debate. His lashings have already been postponed twice due to immense international pressure.

Vice notes that even though the world is regularly horrified by images of Islamic State beheadings, Saudi Arabia has already beheaded 10 people in the first few weeks of 2015. In 2014, Saudi Arabia killed 87 people for various offenses such as sorcery, adultery, and rape.