Prisoners of conscience in the Middle East

That this House notes that 15 May 2020 marks the second anniversary of the wave of arrests targeting Saudi women’s rights activists; is concerned that several, including Loujain al-Hathloul, Naseema al-Sadah, Samar Badawi, Nouf Abdulaziz and Maya’a al-Zahrani, remain in detention and eight others remain on trial; is dismayed by the continued detention of peaceful human rights and political activists across the Middle East, often in overcrowded and unhygienic facilities with limited healthcare provision, particularly given the dangers currently posed by the covid-19 pandemic; urges governments in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Egypt to ensure that all those imprisoned for the peaceful exercise of their human rights are released immediately and that the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners are respected in all prisons; and calls on the Government to recommend the release of prisoners of conscience to relevant counterparts in Middle Eastern countries, and elsewhere, as a matter of urgency.