Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will call on the Saudi Arabian authorities to end the use of the death penalty against minors in all circumstances.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. We raise concern regarding all known juvenile death penalty defendants with the Saudi authorities. The British Embassy Riyadh closely monitors the cases of all juvenile death penalty defendants and regularly attempts to attend their trials. We raise human rights at all levels with the Saudi authorities, including ministerial channels. On 23 May I raised concerns about juvenile death penalty sentencing with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make representations to the Government of Saudi Arabia following the Saudi Arabian Appeals Court’s decision of 13 June 2022 to uphold a death sentence against Abdullah al-Howaiti for crimes allegedly committed when he was 14 years old.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. We raise concern regarding all known juvenile death penalty defendants with the Saudi authorities. The British Embassy Riyadh closely monitors the cases of all juvenile death penalty defendants and regularly attempts to attend their trials. We raise human rights at all levels with the Saudi authorities, including ministerial channels. On 23 May I raised concerns about juvenile death penalty sentencing with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will call on the Saudi Arabian authorities to end the imposition of (a) travel bans and (b) other restrictions on (i) Loujain Al-Hathloul, (ii) Samar Badawi, (iii) Raif Badawi and (iv) other human rights activists released from prison.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office human rights priority country. No aspect of our relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly about human rights. We raise human rights with the Saudi authorities at all levels, including ministerial channels. This includes raising individual detentions. The Minister responsible for Human Rights discussed detentions with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK on 27 May and raised concern about prison conditions during his visit to Saudi Arabia in February 2022.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her counterpart in Saudi Arabia on securing the immediate and unconditional release of (a) Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, (b) Waleed Abu al-Khair, (c) Mohammed al-Oteibi and (d) other prisoners of conscience.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office human rights priority country. No aspect of our relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly about human rights. We raise human rights with the Saudi authorities at all levels, including ministerial channels. This includes raising individual detentions. The Minister responsible for Human Rights discussed detentions with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK on 27 May and raised concern about prison conditions during his visit to Saudi Arabia in February 2022.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will call on the Saudi Arabian authorities to take further steps in line with their international obligations to protect the welfare of prisoners of conscience, including Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani allegedly held in a wing reserved for inmates with mental disorders and assaulted on 26 May 2022.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office human rights priority country. No aspect of our relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly about human rights. We raise human rights with the Saudi authorities at all levels, including ministerial channels. This includes raising individual detentions. The Minister responsible for Human Rights discussed detentions with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK on 27 May and raised concern about prison conditions during his visit to Saudi Arabia in February 2022.