On 7 December 2022, ALQST held a parliamentary event to mark the launch of a new position paper on UK-Saudi ties, A Soft Touch? Human Rights and the UK-Saudi Relationship. Sponsored by Andy Slaughter MP (Labour), the event featured Lina Alhathloul (Head of Monitoring and Advocacy, ALQST), Zaki Sarraf (MENA Death Penalty Caseworker, Reprieve), Yahya Assiri (ALQST founder and former Secretary-General of NAAS ) and Sam Perlo-Freeman (Research Coordinator, Campaign Against Arms Trade.
Lina AlHathloul highlighted the dire human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, which has seen a renewed clampdown on freedom of expression in recent months, and raised the necessity for the UK and other western governments to more robustly advance human rights in the country, as outlined in the position paper.
Zaki Sarraf discussed the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, highlighting the many regressive trends which fly in the face of Mohammed bin Salman’s reformist agenda, including the spike in executions (Reprieve has since published a report showing that the rate of executions has almost doubled since King Salman and his son Mohammed sin Salman came to power in 2015) and the return of drugs-related offences, pointing to several individuals at imminent risk of execution, including Reprieve client Hussein Abo al-Kheir.
Sam Perlo-Freeman described the scope of UK arms export licences to Saudi Arabia, including the use of “Open Licences” that permit unlimited exports of specified equipment without any financial value or quantities attached. He mentioned CAAT’s second judicial review, currently taking place at the High Court of Justice, which challenges the UK government’s continued export of weapons for use in the war in Yemen.
Finally, Yahya Assiri raised Saudi Arabia’s authorities use of surveillance technology to hack the phone accounts of human rights activists, journalists and government officials around the world, including in the UK. Among those targeted in the UK were Assiri himself, as well as ALQST’s late Executive Director, the Emirati human rights defender Alaa Al-Siddiq.
