The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2015-10-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to Saudi Arabia regarding the use of beheading and crucifixion as criminal punishments.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, especially in cases which do not meet the minimum standards defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We believe it undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent.

Ministers, our Ambassador in Riyadh, and the Embassy team in Riyadh frequently raise the issue of the death penalty with the Saudi authorities, bilaterally and through the European Union.