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.

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.