British Lawmakers Request Access to Female Activists Detained In Saudi Arabia

Local Editor

A cross-party group of British lawmakers and lawyers is seeking access to detained female activists whom Human Rights Watch said may have been tortured and harassed while in prison in Saudi Arabia.

The group convened a panel to investigate the claims and produce testimony on the findings at the request of an anonymous Saudi citizen.

A November report by the rights group alleged that those detained were flogged and given electric shocks. They were reportedly detained "for their role in the right to drive campaign and for advocating other freedoms," according to Human Rights Watch.

UK Conservative MP Crispin Blunt formally handed the request to speak with the detainees to the Saudi envoy to the United Kingdom, Prince Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz, on Tuesday.

"There are credible concerns that the conditions in which the Saudi women activists are being detained may have fallen significantly short of both international and Saudi Arabia's own standards. We make this request to the Saudi authorities so that we can assess for ourselves the conditions in which the Saudi women activists have been and are being detained today," Blunt said Tuesday.

"No person should be subjected to the type of treatment that has allegedly been inflicted upon these women activists while in detention. The implications of activists being detained and tortured for exercising their freedom of speech and conducting peaceful campaigns is concerning for all individuals seeking to exercise their human rights in Saudi Arabia."

The Saudi government previously denied the allegations of torture in a statement to CNN following the initial Human Rights Watch report.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's judiciary system does not condone, promote, or allow the use of torture. Anyone, whether male or female, being investigated is going through the standard judiciary process led by the public prosecution while being held for questioning, which does not in any way rely on torture either physical, sexual, or psychological," a Saudi official claimed.

However, the kingdom’s human rights record has faced increased international scrutiny following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the country's consulate in Istanbul late last year.

The suspects include members of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's inner circle. The crown prince has denied any connection to the killing.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team