The Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) has written to the UK Foreign Secretary to ask the British Government to do much more to pressure the Saudi authorities to end the flogging and imprisonment of blogger, Raif Badawi.
Chair of Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC), Kirsty Brimelow QC said:
“These floggings are torture and place Saudi Arabia in flagrant violation of the UN Convention Against Torture, which the Kingdom has ratified.
“These floggings are torture and place Saudi Arabia in flagrant violation of the UN Convention Against Torture, which the Kingdom has ratified.
“This is an opportunity for the UK Government to show its genuine commitment to human rights and in particular to the freedom of expression that it was keen to demonstrate at the recent Charlie Hebdo demonstration in Paris.
“We await to hear what steps will be taken to ensure Saudi Arabia’s compliance with international law. Flogging free speech in Saudi Arabia is not only cruel and inhumane to Saudi Arabian citizens but it is violence which affects us all”.
Read BHRC’s open letter to the Foreign Secretary .
Read BHRC’s open letter to the King of Saudi Arabia .
