To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on the proposed punishment of people with prison sentences of up to five years and fines up to £623,000 for the (a) production and (b) distribution of satire on social media that mocks, provokes or disrupts public order, religious values and public morals.
Answered on
16 October 2018
The UK strongly supports freedom of expression. We believe that civil society organisations and individuals should have the freedom to express their opinions, including where they challenge government policy. Our views are well known by the Saudi authorities. Saudi Arabia is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country.