Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am talking about something important now. The Irish political class often seems to talk tough about fundamental human rights in an abstract sense, only to be reluctant to step up to the plate when specific violations arise. Two particular issues challenge our sincerity on this issue. As we all know, the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in a very brutal way in the Saudi Embassy in Turkey last month. Although my colleague, Senator Norris, raised this case a few weeks ago, the overall Irish response to this murder has been extraordinarily muted. I would hope this has nothing to do with Irish trade with Saudi Arabia. I know we export €700 million per annum to that country. I know additional beef exports to Saudi Arabia were agreed last year. As a farmer's son, I welcome anything that helps agriculture. I would hope that economic ties are not blinding us to the seriousness of this situation. IBEC is to commended for its courage in cancelling a conference on Saudi trade recently. I know the Tánaiste met the Saudi envoy a few weeks ago. It would be good to get an update on what ongoing contacts there are. What is the Government saying about this issue? As we all know, we have had sad experience of journalists being killed for their work in our own country. I think that creates an additional onus on us to speak out.

The second extraordinary case is that of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was recently released from prison having been charged with blasphemy some years ago in Pakistan, where the crime of blasphemy is seriously a problem. I first raised the case of Ms Bibi in 2014. She spent eight years in solitary confinement before being released into virtual house arrest. She is a prisoner in her own country because of a deal that has been done to appease Islamic groups. As I said in 2014, Ms Bibi is an ordinary person who dared to speak for her Christian faith. She has been put through hell as a result. Ireland should speak loudly on behalf of people persecuted for their faith and their beliefs, regardless of what they are. It should take a particular interest when such cases involve Christian minorities, firstly because of our own proud Christian heritage but also because Christian minorities are under particular assault around the world today. They have very few places of safe refuge. The leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Howlin, has rightly called for Ms Bibi to be offered asylum in Ireland. I absolutely support that call. I would welcome a ministerial response on this. During the recent blasphemy referendum campaign, it was wrongly claimed that Ireland's mild blasphemy laws had given some kind of comfort to countries like Pakistan which abuse blasphemy laws. If the Government really believes that Ireland has truly been some kind of obstacle, the obligation on this country to express loudly, clearly and in practical terms its support for and solidarity with people like Ms Bibi, as well as others who are suffering as we speak, is all the greater.