PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
G20 Summit in Saudi Arabia and Human Rights (15 October 2020)

That this House notes that Saudi Arabia currently holds the presidency of the G20 and will be hosting the G20 Summit virtually on 21-22 November 2020; is deeply
concerned about Saudi Arabia’s on-going serious and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, particularly the crackdown on non-violent activists and critics since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to power in 2017, which includes the arbitrary detention and torture of women human rights defenders and the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as the apparently indiscriminate and disproportionate airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure by the Saudi-led coalition in the conflict in Yemen which may amount to war crimes; and calls on the Government to publicly and privately urge Saudi Arabia to take concrete steps to improve its human rights record in the lead up to the G20 Summit, including immediately releasing all human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, providing full accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and ending the war in Yemen, and to reconsider the level of its participation in the Summit if these steps are not taken.

Sponsored by:
Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party)