Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the flogging of Raif Badawi in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Whilst the latest flogging has been postponed, we remain seriously concerned by Raif Badawi’s case. The UK condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in all circumstances. We have raised Mr Badawi’s case at a senior level with the Saudi authorities. The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We believe that people must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, challenge their governments, exercise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and speak out against violations of human rights wherever they occur.