:00:13. > :00:18.My lords had big leads to ask the question standing in my namd on the
:00:19. > :00:22.order paper. The British Government is firmly opposed to the de`th
:00:23. > :00:26.penalty in all circumstances and in every country. We have exprdss these
:00:27. > :00:37.concerns to the Saudi authorities, most recently during my visht on the
:00:38. > :00:42.25th of January last week. ,-. It does not shy away from raishng human
:00:43. > :00:45.rights concern and we believe it will be more successful in
:00:46. > :00:52.discussing cases privately with Saudi Arabia than criticising them
:00:53. > :00:59.publicly. It is widely reported that in the first year of office 201 ,
:01:00. > :01:04.Saudi Arabia executed more people than in any of the previous 20
:01:05. > :01:09.years. Any of those people were executed for political dissdnt. The
:01:10. > :01:13.last time we discussed this on the 13th of January, the Noble Lady
:01:14. > :01:15.asked all five of this housd to asked all five of this housd to
:01:16. > :01:19.express these concerns to the Saudi government. She told us that they
:01:20. > :01:23.have done so, could she tell the House what the Saudi governlent s
:01:24. > :01:27.response was and indeed if they are point to distinguish between
:01:28. > :01:33.political dissent and other crimes. My lords, during his visit, he had
:01:34. > :01:36.meetings with members of thd national Society for human rights in
:01:37. > :01:43.Saudi Arabia Minister of foreign affairs, and members of the Council,
:01:44. > :01:47.he also met with advisers, ly lords he did cover a wide variety of
:01:48. > :01:49.people with whom he could h`ve this conversation naturally. As H just
:01:50. > :01:54.explained in my first answer, we would prefer to make our pohnts in a
:01:55. > :02:00.private environment. What I will say is that the Saudi Arabian government
:02:01. > :02:05.and offices of Saudi Arabia are clear that we will not stop coming
:02:06. > :02:09.forward in our view is on e`ch and every case. Where somebody has been
:02:10. > :02:18.arrested and may face of cotrse the death penalty. My lords, thd Noble
:02:19. > :02:24.Baroness has said that we ddplore executions for political re`sons in
:02:25. > :02:29.all countries, may I ask her whether her representations have bedn
:02:30. > :02:35.equally private and equally powerful in the country of Iran? My lords, of
:02:36. > :02:41.course I would a dramatic relationship with Iran has only
:02:42. > :02:47.recently resumed and it is hmportant that we are able to nurture that. My
:02:48. > :02:51.lords, I believe that Iran would be under no misunderstanding about the
:02:52. > :02:54.strength of opinion of the British Government of all British Government
:02:55. > :02:58.in recent decades over the fact that the death penalty is wrong hn
:02:59. > :03:08.principle and practice and ht undermines a successful sochety My
:03:09. > :03:15.lords, the, I cannot understand why we make on the private
:03:16. > :03:21.representations to Saudi Ar`bia is it a public condemnation th`t much
:03:22. > :03:25.more effective? Our expense has been that certain countries that is in
:03:26. > :03:28.fact not the case, it can bd counterproductive. We are always
:03:29. > :03:34.careful to ensure that we m`ke best use of our diplomatic voice in
:03:35. > :03:37.private. My Lord, Saudi Arabia has any country does respond better to
:03:38. > :03:46.that exchange, it does not stop me being as public as I am tod`y. Both
:03:47. > :03:50.Iran and Saudi are both extremely volatile and if we are not careful,
:03:51. > :03:53.what is happening in Saudis wheels over as we know into Yemen `nd will
:03:54. > :03:58.spill over into Bahrain if we are not careful. I would therefore ask
:03:59. > :04:02.the ministers to exercise as much pressure as they can on the Saudi
:04:03. > :04:08.government to understand th`t it is almost impossible to defend given
:04:09. > :04:15.the behaviour of the regime. My lords, the point that lies behind
:04:16. > :04:19.his words, is certainly right. That is that all countries have to have
:04:20. > :04:25.regard to the fact that thehr actions may lead to regional
:04:26. > :04:29.instability, it is important in the Middle East in general that all
:04:30. > :04:37.countries recognise what impact their actions can have. Is the Noble
:04:38. > :04:43.Lady able to comment on reports of the execution of a young man under
:04:44. > :04:49.the age of 18 was in it a breach of the Shari and law? My lords, I am
:04:50. > :04:53.aware there is a newspaper reports in effect that one person who was
:04:54. > :04:57.expected to be an adult at the time of execution may not have bden, but
:04:58. > :05:02.there is not get proof of that matter, certainly with regard to the
:05:03. > :05:08.juveniles who are being held at the moment on their penalty which does
:05:09. > :05:13.include that sentence, we h`ve been given assurances including lost
:05:14. > :05:16.recently by the Saudi foreign affairs minister that the sdntences
:05:17. > :05:22.will not be carried out. My lords, the fact is of course that however
:05:23. > :05:26.we think about sharia law wd might have different views on that, it is
:05:27. > :05:29.a case that some countries do have the death penalty and we nedd to
:05:30. > :05:31.work to make sure it is removed