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Labour and Lib Dem in the UK calls for severing judicial relations with Riyadh

SHAFAQNA – Britain has been challenged to withdraw its support for Saudi Arabia as chair of the UN human rights council panel as the closeness of the UK-Saudi relationship was dismissed as sycophantic by Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, and Labour called for an end to judicial cooperation with Riyadh.

The outcry from British politicians came after the Foreign Office initially described the announcement of the execution of 47 people, including the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, as disappointing.

“The Saudi government systemically abuse human rights,” said Farron, referring to the UN post Riyadh was given in September. “They cannot be the chair of the UN committee safeguarding fundamental rights. Britain and other nations cannot continue to sit in meetings with them knowing that people are being executed and persecuted by the kingdom while they judge other nations on human rights.

“They should stand down or be made to stand down. They are utterly unfit to hold this role.”

He added: “The UK government has now got itself into a position where it is almost sycophantic to the Saudi Arabian regime. When things like this happen we need to be clear in our condemnation of them, not just because they are morally wrong, but because they undermine the diplomatic processes that are key to solving the Syria crisis.”

In a slightly tougher response to the executions than that issued over the weekend, David Cameron described the tensions provoked by the executions as “hugely concerning”. The UK condemned the death penalty in all circumstances and had made representations to the Saudi authorities on this occasion, he added.

“It is hugely concerning because of course we want to see stability in the Middle East. We want to see good relations between the different countries in the Middle East, not least because that will be absolutely essential for solving the crisis in Syria, which is the source of so many of these problems,” the prime minister said during a visit to east London.

“And specifically on Saudi Arabia, let me be clear, we condemn and do not support the death penalty in any circumstances and that includes Saudi Arabia. We always make representations on the death penalty and the Foreign Office ministers made it very clear on this occasion.”

Speaking to the BBC, Sir John Jenkins said: “Do I think the sentences are justified? Certainly the people accused of membership of [al-Qaida], particularly given what has happened over the past 18 months with these attacks by Islamic State inside the kingdom, I can understand why the Saudis reacted in the way they did.”

He added they were different from killings by Isis, since Saudi Arabia is “a legitimately constituted state operating in a state system”. Iran executed far more people than Saudi Arabia, he said.

The leadership of the Labour party, under Jeremy Corbyn, has been increasingly critical of Britain’s links with Saudi Arabia. The shadow human rights minister, Andy Slaughter, condemned the relationship and wrote to the justice secretary, Michael Gove, asking him to confirm that discussions of judicial cooperation were continuing with the Saudis and calling for them to “cease immediately”.

“It is not right that the UK should be actively cooperating with a justice system that shows such flagrant disregard for the most basic human rights and the rule of law,” Slaughter argued.

He said the cancellation last year of a bid to provide Saudi Arabia with prisons expertise was not enough, and called for the publication of a “memorandum of understanding” signed by the justice heads of both states in September 2014.

“Cancelling the prison contract last year and disbanding the Ministry of Justice unit that negotiated it has had no effect on discussions on wider judicial cooperation, which are continuing through the British embassy in Riyadh,” he said.

“These should cease immediately and the government should publish the memorandum and disclose the full nature of British support and advice on justice issues to the Saudi regime.”

 

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