The UK Government has been warned that Saudi Arabia plans to go ahead with several executions over Christmas in order to steer clear of a diplomatic ‘blowback’.
A letter signed by MPs was sent to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. It says ‘execution spell is being planned to steer clear of a diplomatic “blowback'”.
Saudi Arabia has a history of executing people over the festive and New Year period.
This was the case in 2016 when almost 50 people, including children, were executed around late December.
‘We are gravely concerned that Saudi Arabia may carry out a mass execution over the holiday period, when the world’s eyes are elsewhere and Saudi authorities feel they will face less diplomatic blowback,’ stated the letter to Mr Cleverly.
It continued: ‘The Kingdom has a history of carrying out executions over the festive and New Year period, as it did in 2016 and 2020, when it is harder for the international community to quickly respond.
‘We urge you to make representations ahead of the holidays to communicate that this would be utterly unacceptable, before it’s too late.
The letter was signed by MPs including Hilary Benn, David Davis, Andy Slaughter, Sir Peter Bottomley and Alistair Carmichael.
Earlier this month, the Government was called ‘spineless’ after Foreign Office minister David Rutley, who told MPs Saudi Arabia had ‘clearly’ tortured a man on death row, asked for his words to be removed from the record.
The letter to Mr Cleverly, seen by The Telegraph, noted that Saudi Arabia has executed at least 20 people over the last two weeks, including 12 foreigners.
‘It is no coincidence that Saudi Arabia carried out its recent spate of executions while the world was watching the World Cup,’ the letter said.
The director of Reprieve, Maya Foa, said: ‘Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron all met the Crown Prince this year – and all failed to condemn the bloodshed.
‘Haven’t we learned how short-sighted it is to cosy up to dictators, hoping they will change?”
:In the case of Saudi Arabia, more executions for childhood crimes, for protest offences and for non-violent drug crimes are the inevitable result.’
The Government said it stands strongly against the death penalty in all countries and has discussed the case of Mr Abo al-Kheir with Saudi authorities.
Saudi Arabia was previously accused of using the World Cup as a distraction after it beheaded 17 people over a 12-day period in November, a UN official said later that month, despite the country’s leaders stating that they would not use the death penalty.
UN human rights office spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell called the capital punishment ‘deeply regrettable’ at a press briefing in Geneva.
