Saudi Arabia is ramping up executions while the world’s attention is "distracted” by football, a leading Tory MP has suggested.
The Middle Eastern monarchy and UK ally has executed 147 people this year - with twenty killed since November 10 alone.
Speaking in the Commons after the latest brutal bout of executions, Conservative MP David Davis said: “Possibly the Saudis are thinking the world’s attention is distracted by the World Cup.”
He added that when Britain has been “too soft with totalitarians” in the past it has “come back to bite us” - with a weak response after the poisoning of Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko in 2008 leading to the 2018 Salisbury poisonings.
Mr Davis said if the UK government steps up its attention on the dictatorial state “the Foreign Secretary can almost certainly save 55 lives”.
“It is time to make clear they must abide by international standards," the vocal backbencher said.
David Rutley, a minister in the foreign office (FCDO), insisted Saudi Arabia remains a “human rights priority country”, adding: “We engage with the kingdom and seek positive reform…The Saudi government is well aware of the UK's position."
The twenty executions from the oil-rich nation in the past two weeks were largely over alleged drug offences - despite Saudi Arabia officially signing up to a moratorium on executions for drug related crime.
Lord Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East and the United Nations, requested a meeting with Saudi authorities last week and “raised UK concerns," Mr Rutley added.
Lord Ahmad also reportedly raised the case of Husain Abu al-Khair, a 65-year-old Jordanian national who has been tortured and sentenced to death in a trial by the Saudi government dubbed “unfair” by observers amid allegations of forced confessions of those on death row.
The UK has granted hundreds of licences to export arms to Saudi Arabia in the past decade, worth at least £10billion - plus another 202 “open licences” permitting unlimited exports for certain firms, according to figures compiled by Campaign Against Arms Trade.
But the minister insisted: “No aspect of our relationship with Saudi prevents us speaking freely about human rights.” And he said the executions "do not sit comfortably" with the Saudis.
Tory former Cabinet minister David Davis, who requested the urgent question, said: “We may have to step this up somewhat.”
And fellow Tory Sir Peter Bottomley added: "It's time, I think, that our friend, our ally Saudi Arabia, gets to know that whenever a senior member of their country comes abroad, unless these executions stop, they'll be associated with them" - including leader Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The 147 executions so far this year is a steep increase on the 67 seen in 2021, and includes 81 people being killed in a single day.
It was the state's biggest mass execution in modern history, triggering outrage from the United Nations and human rights groups.
Saudi Arabia has been engaged in a war on neighbouring Yemen since 2015, as the state tries to prop up a Saudi-led military coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran.
The resulting humanitarian crisis is among the worst in the world, with military blockades exacerbating hunger and disease.
