Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to secure access by independent monitors to all political detainees currently held without charge in Saudi Arabia.

The British Government is very concerned about allegations of mistreatment of those detained in Saudi Arabia because of their political views. We continue to monitor these cases. We consistently and unreservedly condemn torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority for us to challenge it wherever and whenever it occurs. We have raised concerns about these cases at Ministerial level a number of times with the Saudi authorities and will continue to do so. We also regularly raise concerns using diplomatic channels of communication, including our Ambassador. Saudi Arabia maintains that the issue of detentions is an internal judicial matter. The British Government cannot intervene in independent monitoring or investigation.