Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Bin Salman says he will implement reforms for women and then simply locks up a lot of women. He tortures and abuses them and cracks down on human rights. Germany is not afraid to take unilateral action so why are we? Even Britain, which has a huge trade with Saudi Arabia, has politicians who are putting it up to the Saudi Government. We are not. Expressing concern is not enough. I ask simply that the Irish Government makes a formal request for access for an all-party group to visit the prisoners and assess the allegations of torture and abuse, ask for the prisoners to be released and, if not, say we will have to consider sanctions. That is what I want the Government to say to Saudi Arabia. If the Government does not do so, why would Saudi Arabia bother listening to any of these expressions of concern or recommendations?

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