Written answers

Tuesday, 16 April 2019

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Human Rights

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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78. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his discussions with his counterparts across Europe on the abuse of women prisoners in Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17631/19]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Recent socio-economic reforms in Saudi Arabia have been overshadowed by reports from the UN and a number of human rights agencies of an intensive crackdown on domestic dissent and the imposition of significant restrictions on civil society.  The ongoing detention of a number of women activists in Saudi Arabia is a particular cause for concern. As I have previously stated, it is absolutely not acceptable for women to be imprisoned, let alone mistreated, for peacefully pursuing their basic human rights.

The cases of the remaining women, and allegations of mistreatment of women detainees, are being monitored closely by the Irish Embassy in Riyadh, in coordination with other EU Member States. The EU delegation in Riyadh has raised the cases directly with the Saudi authorities on multiple occasions.

Ireland consistently raises issues of human rights in Saudi Arabia both bilaterally with the Saudi Embassy in Dublin, and in international fora.

Ireland signed a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council last month, along with all EU Member States, calling on Saudi Arabia to release individuals detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms, including ten named women human rights defenders. The recent preliminary release of three women, including two of the named human rights defenders, was a welcome development.

Thematically, Ireland urges all States to safeguard the human rights of prisoners and detainees, and is committed to the prevention and eradication of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Human Rights Council Resolution 36/16, which Ireland co-sponsored, calls upon states to ‘investigate promptly, effectively and impartially all alleged human rights violations and abuses suffered by persons deprived of their liberty, in particular cases involving death, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, to provide effective remedies to the victims, and to ensure that detention administrations cooperate fully with the investigating authority and preserve all evidence’. Ireland has co-sponsored thematic Resolutions in the Human Rights Council concerning human rights in the administration of justice and concerning torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Ireland also sponsored UN General Assembly Resolution 71/188, concerning human rights in the administration of justice.

During the last Universal Periodic Review of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council in November 2018, Ireland expressed concern about the imprisonment of human rights defenders and recommended that Saudi Arabia bring its laws into line with international standards for the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

My Department will continue to monitor these cases and will continue to relay Ireland's concerns to the Saudi authorities bilaterally and in collaboration with our EU partners.

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