Saudi Arabia (Hansard, 24 February 2003)

§ Dr. Pugh
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department is giving to British subjects in Saudi Arabia about the motives for recent bombings against non-Saudi nationals. [96366]

§ Mr. Mike O'Brien
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 31 January, Official Report, column 1090W.

§ Dr. Pugh
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Saudi Government regarding the human rights of Sandy Mitchell, Les Walker, James Lee and James Cottel, imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. [96367]

§ Mr. Mike O'Brien
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 6 February,Official Report, column 386W.

§ Dr. Pugh
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to investigate claims that British nationals imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for bombings have been subjected to long periods of solitary confinement and sleep deprivation. [96368]

§ Mr. Mike O'Brien
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 3 February,Official Report column 9W.

§ Dr. Pugh
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Saudi authorities about(a) compliance with the human and legal rights conventions Saudi Arabia has signed to and (b) the case of the detainees Sandy Mitchell, Les Walker, James Lee and James Cottel. [93699]

§ Mr. Mike O'Brien
My right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary—and Ministerial colleagues—have raised the cases of the British men detained in Saudi Arabia at the highest levels with the Saudi authorities. We remain deeply concerned about these cases. The men's welfare is our paramount concern. We continue to work hard to resolve the cases. We are in close contact with the Saudi authorities and the men's lawyers.
Saudi Arabia is a signatory to a number of international human rights conventions including the Geneva Convention on Human Rights; and the Convention Against Torture. HMG raises human rights issues regularly at all levels with the Saudi government, both bilaterally and with our EU partners.