Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK Embassy in Saudi Arabia provides support and protection to human rights activists in that country.

Our policy on human rights defenders is guided by the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (1998) and the EU Guidelines. Embassy officials have regular contact with human rights defenders. It is, however, often the view of the defenders that involvement with foreign representatives and organisations can make their task of pressing for reform more difficult. Nevertheless, we work to align our priorities with theirs and continue to press for reform.