On 25 October, Marietje Schaake submitted the following parliamentary questions to Vice-President / High Representative Federica Mogherini.
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Subject: Israa al-Ghomgham in Saudi Arabia
After more than three years in pre-trial detention, the Saudi Shia activist Israa al-Ghomgham is due to appear in court on Sunday 28 October, after being sentenced to death in a secretive trial last August. She is the first Saudi female activist to face the prospect of execution for acts of peaceful dissent. The charges brought against her are linked to her non-violent participation in protests and documentation on social media.
1) In October, a panel of UN experts expressed acute concern for Ghomgham, saying charges lack legal bases and that she was denied the right to legal representation. Is the VP/HR aware of the case and if so, will she condemn it in the strongest possible terms, and furthermore, has the EU delegation in Riyadh been following the trial proceedings?
2) So far this year reportedly 93 people have been beheaded by the Saudi authorities (1). How is the EEAS putting pressure on Saudi Arabia to end the use widespread use of capital punishment, often after grossly unfair and politically motivated trials?
3) What action is the EEAS undertaking in response to Parliament’s resolution of May 2018 on the situation of women’s rights defenders in Saudi Arabia?
