Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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60. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) in Saudi Arabia; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that they have been charged for organising peaceful protests and are being tried in a military tribunal and face the death penalty; if the Saudi Arabian regime's arrest and detention of this person and the other human rights activists arrested with them will be condemned; if he will request their release and the end of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia; and if he will raise the case with his Saudi Arabian counterpart. [36407/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the case raised by the Deputy. I am concerned by reports that the death penalty is being considered by the prosecutor in this case, as well as the reports of the conduct of the pretrial proceedings. Ireland is unequivocal in its stance on the death penalty and we oppose its use in all circumstances. The abolition of the death penalty is one of Ireland’s international priorities, and my Department regularly conveys our stance on this issue to all countries where the death penalty is still in use. The continued imposition and scale of death sentences in Saudi Arabia continues to be a cause for grave concern.

Ireland has consistently availed of appropriate opportunities to raise issues of human rights in Saudi Arabia, bilaterally with interlocutors from Saudi Arabia, as well as at EU and international level. During the last Irish Foreign Minister level visit to Saudi Arabia, a Trade Mission to the Kingdom in late 2016, my predecessor, Minister Flanagan, had a discussion around human rights, including the use of the death penalty, with his counterpart.

Officials from my Department regularly raise human rights cases with the Saudi Embassy here in Dublin. Our Embassy in Riyadh raises a range of human rights issues directly with the Saudi authorities.

The EU in Riyadh also takes the opportunity to raise concerns with the Saudi authorities. In August, the EU had a frank and constructive first dialogue on Human Rights with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia. The EU is now seeking to follow up on this by establishing a permanent bilateral dialogue forum on Human Rights between the EU and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is hoped such a dialogue will allow for further candid discussions on human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, and the possibility of cooperation in the field of human rights protection and promotion.

Officials from my Department have raised our concerns about the use of the death penalty generally, and Saudi Arabia’s use in particular, in relevant human rights fora. At the Human Rights Council in Geneva in March 2018, Ireland made a specific reference to Saudi Arabia in our national Item 4 statement, highlighting our grave concerns over “the continued use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia”.

My officials and I will continue to raise our concerns about human rights issues, and specifically the continued use of the death penalty, directly with the Saudi authorities, and at EU and international levels, whenever opportunities arise.