British MPs table Early Day Motion on human rights in Saudi Arabia

Publication date: 12/06/2025

A group of British MPs this week tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) in parliament on human rights in Saudi Arabia, calling on the UK Government to actively raise pressing rights issues with Saudi Arabia’s authorities. The EDM’s (1411) primary sponsor was Ellie Chowns MP (Green) and was co-sponsored by Jim Shannon MP (Democratic Unionist Party), Neil Duncan-Jordan MP (Labour), Jeremy Corbyn MP (Independent), Chris Law MP (Scottish National Party) and Seamus Logan MP (Scottish National Party). 

The EDM covers a wide range of issues, welcoming the recent release of several prisoners of conscience, while highlighting that those released are often subjected to arbitrary travel bans, and countless others remain unjustly imprisoned. It also expresses alarm at other worrying rights trends, including the surge in executions. 

ALQST encourages supporters and friends who can to contact their MPs, and to encourage them to sign this EDM, which reads:

That this House remains concerned about human rights violations in Saudi Arabia; welcomes the recent release of dozens of political prisoners, including University of Leeds PhD student Salma al-Shehab, human rights defender Mohammed al-Qahtani, and doctor Lina Alsharif; notes, however, that released individuals face continued restrictions, including travel bans; further notes that others remain arbitrarily imprisoned for peaceful dissent, such as Manahel al-Otaibi; is alarmed by the record number of death penalty executions, with 345 in 2024 and over 140 in 2025 so far, with a number of persons who committed their alleged crimes as minors facing execution; is concerned about labour exploitation and potential deaths of workers in connection with the 2034 FIFA World Cup and other mega-projects in the absence of fundamental labour rights reform; calls on the UK Government to urge Saudi Arabia to release all those imprisoned for defending or exercising their rights and to establish a moratorium on use of the death penalty; and further calls on the Government to actively raise such rights issues and cases of concern, including in connection with on-going discussions with Gulf Cooperation Council states on a Free Trade Agreement.

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