01/02/2016 Lords Questions


01/02/2016

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My lords had big leads to ask the question standing in my namd on the

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order paper. The British Government is firmly opposed to the de`th

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penalty in all circumstances and in every country. We have exprdss these

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concerns to the Saudi authorities, most recently during my visht on the

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25th of January last week. ,-. It does not shy away from raishng human

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rights concern and we believe it will be more successful in

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discussing cases privately with Saudi Arabia than criticising them

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publicly. It is widely reported that in the first year of office 201 ,

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Saudi Arabia executed more people than in any of the previous 20

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years. Any of those people were executed for political dissdnt. The

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last time we discussed this on the 13th of January, the Noble Lady

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asked all five of this housd to asked all five of this housd to

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express these concerns to the Saudi government. She told us that they

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have done so, could she tell the House what the Saudi governlent s

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response was and indeed if they are point to distinguish between

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political dissent and other crimes. My lords, during his visit, he had

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meetings with members of thd national Society for human rights in

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Saudi Arabia Minister of foreign affairs, and members of the Council,

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he also met with advisers, ly lords he did cover a wide variety of

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people with whom he could h`ve this conversation naturally. As H just

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explained in my first answer, we would prefer to make our pohnts in a

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private environment. What I will say is that the Saudi Arabian government

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and offices of Saudi Arabia are clear that we will not stop coming

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forward in our view is on e`ch and every case. Where somebody has been

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arrested and may face of cotrse the death penalty. My lords, thd Noble

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Baroness has said that we ddplore executions for political re`sons in

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all countries, may I ask her whether her representations have bedn

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equally private and equally powerful in the country of Iran? My lords, of

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course I would a dramatic relationship with Iran has only

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recently resumed and it is hmportant that we are able to nurture that. My

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lords, I believe that Iran would be under no misunderstanding about the

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strength of opinion of the British Government of all British Government

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in recent decades over the fact that the death penalty is wrong hn

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principle and practice and ht undermines a successful sochety My

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lords, the, I cannot understand why we make on the private

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representations to Saudi Ar`bia is it a public condemnation th`t much

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more effective? Our expense has been that certain countries that is in

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fact not the case, it can bd counterproductive. We are always

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careful to ensure that we m`ke best use of our diplomatic voice in

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private. My Lord, Saudi Arabia has any country does respond better to

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that exchange, it does not stop me being as public as I am tod`y. Both

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Iran and Saudi are both extremely volatile and if we are not careful,

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what is happening in Saudis wheels over as we know into Yemen `nd will

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spill over into Bahrain if we are not careful. I would therefore ask

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the ministers to exercise as much pressure as they can on the Saudi

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government to understand th`t it is almost impossible to defend given

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the behaviour of the regime. My lords, the point that lies behind

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his words, is certainly right. That is that all countries have to have

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regard to the fact that thehr actions may lead to regional

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instability, it is important in the Middle East in general that all

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countries recognise what impact their actions can have. Is the Noble

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Lady able to comment on reports of the execution of a young man under

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the age of 18 was in it a breach of the Shari and law? My lords, I am

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aware there is a newspaper reports in effect that one person who was

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expected to be an adult at the time of execution may not have bden, but

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there is not get proof of that matter, certainly with regard to the

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juveniles who are being held at the moment on their penalty which does

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include that sentence, we h`ve been given assurances including lost

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recently by the Saudi foreign affairs minister that the sdntences

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will not be carried out. My lords, the fact is of course that however

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we think about sharia law wd might have different views on that, it is

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a case that some countries do have the death penalty and we nedd to

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work to make sure it is removed

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