Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The case of Raif Badawi which the Deputy raised is clearly a matter of ongoing and serious concern to the Government. Our concerns relate both to the conviction of Mr. Badawi for activities widely regarded here as the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of opinion and expression and also to the nature of the sentence which included corporal punishment. The carrying out of this sentence began with the public flogging of Mr. Badawi in Jeddah on 9 January 2015. When I met with the director general of the Irish branch of Amnesty International this afternoon, we had an opportunity to discuss this case.

Our concerns about this case have been repeatedly raised by the European Union on behalf of its member states, including Ireland, with the Saudi authorities when Mr. Badawi was convicted and, again, now that punishment has commenced. They have also been conveyed directly to the ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Dublin by a senior official in my Department. EU embassies in Riyadh, including Ireland's, are continuing to work intensively on this case.

In addition, the spokesperson of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms Federica Mogherini, issued a statement on the case of Mr. Badawi on 9 January, calling on the Saudi authorities to suspend the flogging, a call which was echoed on 15 January by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. I sincerely hope the Saudi authorities will answer the High Commissioner's call for Mr. Badawi to be pardoned and for this harsh form of punishment to be urgently reviewed.

In the meantime, I welcome the fact the second session of punishment of Mr. Badawi, scheduled to take place on 16 January, has been postponed. I also welcome the reports of a further postponement which have emerged just this afternoon. The reports that his case has been referred to the Saudi Arabian supreme court is a positive development. I hope this will presage a wider rethink of the case, as well as the important issues it raises, by the Saudi authorities.

We normally raise human rights issues, including specific cases such as Mr. Badawi's, in conjunction with our EU partners in Saudi Arabia as we do in many other locations. It is quite clear we have the greatest impact on matters of foreign policy, including human rights, when the 28 EU member states speak with one voice.

Ireland has always been at the forefront internationally in raising human rights issues through bilateral contacts and through the European Union and the United Nations, and we have never shied away from addressing these issues. As the Deputy may be aware, the Government's review of foreign policy, The Global Island, which was launched last week, underlines the Government's continuing commitment to promoting human rights.

Ireland specifically sought and fought for election to the UN Human Rights Council as one means to fulfil this commitment. Membership provides us with an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the work of the Human Rights Council and to the global protection and promotion of human rights. As a member of the Human Rights Council, Ireland makes specific recommendations to many countries on human rights issues under the universal peer review procedure. In October 2013, Ireland made two recommendations during the UN universal periodic review of Saudi Arabia.

Let me assure the Deputy and the House that Ireland will continue to closely follow the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia and to monitor the case of Raif Badawi in this context.

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