Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Government of Saudi Arabia's compliance with international agreements on the use of torture, forced confessions and capital punishment in the sentencing of Abbas al-Hassan and eleven other individuals for exercising their rights to freedom of religion and association.

We are very concerned about the reports that these executions may be imminent and we are closely monitoring these cases. We last raised these concerns on 20 November and 3 December, when we discussed both the substance of the cases and the UK’s long standing opposition to the death penalty. It is a longstanding policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle.

We consistently and unreservedly condemn torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority for us to combat it wherever and whenever it occurs.

We have been and do continually raise our concerns including on this case with the Saudi Arabian authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels of communication, including our Ambassador.