Saudi Arabia was chosen to chair the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. Rights groups expressed outrage at the news. Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Advocacy Sherine Tadros said, “Saudi Arabia’s abysmal record when it comes to protecting and promoting the rights of women puts a spotlight on the vast gulf between the lived reality for women and girls in Saudi Arabia, and the aspirations of the Commission.” Earlier this week, Amnesty International released a report condemning a leaked draft of Saudi Arabia’s first written penal code, which, Amnesty says, criminalizes free speech, homosexuality and abortion and fails to protect women and girls from all forms of gender-based violence.