§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many British citizens were arrested and detained in Saudi Arabia in 1995; in respect of how many were the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations not fully complied with; how many of them have since been charged and how many have been the subject of unsupported allegations but released as "a gesture of goodwill" without the allegations being rescinded.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyWe know of 18 British nationals who were arrested and detained in Saudi Arabia in 1995. Out of the 18, seven were formally charged and the rest released.
The Saudis recognise their obligation under the Vienna Convention to inform us of arrests and to grant access to detainees. However, news of arrests can often reach us more quickly through friends or relatives of the detainees than through official channels.
The Saudi authorities take their own decisions on whether to proceed with a prosecution. It is not for us to weigh the evidence.