Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, what representations have they made to the government of Saudi Arabia regarding Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Saudi Arabia on charges relating to his social media activity; and what urgent representations they plan to make, if any, to the government of Saudi Arabia about concerns that he has been incommunicado since October 2021.

We continue to monitor the case of Mr Abdulrahman al-Sadhan. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights in our engagement with the Saudi authorities. Minister Milling raised concern regarding the death penalty with the Saudi Ambassador on 23 May, and enquired into a specific high-priority case. Lord Ahmad also raised UK concerns about the death penalty with the Saudi Justice Minister on 6 June. We have consistently raised concerns about the use of solitary confinement, lack of family contact and allegations of torture in Saudi Arabia, and stressed the importance of due process.