In stern warning, British MPs say Saudi Arabia might use Christmas as 'cover for mass executions'

The British government has warned of Saudi Arabia's plans to take advantage of the Christmas season buzz internationally to carry out mass executions with a lesser risk of diplomatic backlash.

In a letter to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly seen by the Telegraph, members of the British parliament said that Riyadh would use Christmas as “cover for committing atrocities.”

"We are gravely concerned that Saudi Arabia may carry out a mass execution over the holiday period, when the world’s eyes are elsewhere and Saudi authorities feel they will face less diplomatic blowback," the MPs said in their letter.

They emphasized that Saudi Arabia "has a history of carrying out executions over the festive and New Year period, as it did in 2016 and 2020, when it is harder for the international community to quickly respond."

The British parliamentarians called on the foreign secretary to "make representations ahead of the holidays to communicate that this would be utterly unacceptable, before it’s too late."

The letter was signed by MPs across the party spectrum, including David Davis, Hilary Benn, Sir Peter Bottomley, Alistair Carmichael and Andy Slaughter.

The Telegraph quoted human rights groups as saying that around 60 people are currently known to be on death row in Saudi Arabia, with the real figure likely to be significantly higher.

Death row prisoners are often beheaded with swords, hanged or put in front of firing squads, the daily said.

Britain and a number of Western countries are believed to pursue a softer stance on the death penalty in Saudi Arabia as the oil-rich state is trying to mitigate high energy prices caused by the Russian military offensive in Ukraine.

However, in their letter to Cleverly, the British MPs said Saudi Arabia had executed at least 20 people, including 12 foreigners, over the past two weeks.

"It is no coincidence that Saudi Arabia carried out its recent spate of executions while the world was watching the World Cup," the letter read.

Maya Foa, the director of the legal charity Reprieve, said, "[US President] Joe Biden, [former British prime minister] Boris Johnson and [French President] Emmanuel Macron all met the Crown Prince this year – and all failed to condemn the bloodshed. Haven’t we learned how short-sighted it is to cosy up to dictators, hoping they will change?

"In the case of Saudi Arabia, more executions for childhood crimes, for protest offences and for non-violent drug crimes are the inevitable result."

Back in March, Saudi Arabia executed 81 prisoners in a single day over ‘terror-related offenses,’ in the largest mass execution carried out by the highly-conservative Arab kingdom in recent memory.

• UN rights chief slams mass execution of 81 people in Saudi Arabia amid US silence

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has decried the mass execution of 81 people in Saudi Arabia, urging authorities in the kingdom to bring the country’s counter-terrorism laws fully into line with international standards.

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