WRITTEN QUESTION E-0185/02

by Carlos Carnero González (PSE) to the Council

(5 February 2002)

Subject: Execution of three male Saudi Arabian citizens on grounds of homosexual relations

According to recent media reports, three male Saudi Arabian citizens (Ali bin Hatan bin Saad, Muhammad bin Suleiman bin Muhammad, and Muhammad bin Khalil bin Abdullah) were recently executed by beheading, having been sentenced to death after being found guilty of homosexual relations.

These reports once again brutally show up how fundamental human rights such as, in these cases, the right to choose one's sexual orientation are systematically violated in Saudi Arabia, in a context where the death penalty continues to be applied.

We are dealing on both counts with attitudes which run totally counter to the values affirmed by the EU in the framework of the common foreign and security policy.

What has the Council's response been to this news? What measures has it adopted or will it adopt to ensure that the Saudi Arabian government respects human rights, including the rights of homosexual citizens, and abolishes the death penalty?

Reply

(21 May 2002)

The EU is actively working for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide. As regards Saudi Arabia, human rights issues, including the death penalty, are addressed in bilateral contacts and in the context of the political dialogue with the Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is a member.