Reprieve has pressed the Prime Minister to raise the cases of child defendants in Saudi Arabia ahead of talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. The meeting is taking place as the Kingdom hits a record number of executions in a calendar year. It was recently denied a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“When Boris Johnson visited Mohammed bin Salman in 2022, three days after the mass execution of 81 people, Sir Keir Starmer was rightly scathing of Johnson’s unconditional embrace of one of the world’s most prolific executioners of protesters,” Reprieve’s deputy executive director Dan Dolan told The Daily Mail.
“Now he is the PM, he has the opportunity to address the escalating execution crisis in Saudi Arabia.”
“If he publicly raises the cases of child defendants Abdullah al-Howaiti and Abdullah al-Derazi when he meets with the Crown Prince, he could save their lives.”
However, Sir Keir Starmer said that his “number one mission” during the talks was economic growth – but that he would still raise Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, reports The Independent. In a statement reported in Sky news, Number 10 said that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where Starmer was also visiting, were among Britain’s “most vital modern-day partners.”
