Britain cancels Saudi prison staff training contract
The UK has canceled a controversial $9-million contract to provide training for Saudi Arabia's penal system amid an outcry over the kingdom's human rights violations.
“This bid to provide the additional training to Saudi Arabia has been reviewed and the government has decided that it won’t be proceeding with the bid," Prime Minister David Cameron's spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
The government has stressed that it is pulling out of the deal to provide "training needs analysis" to Saudi prison staff was by no means related to the case of UK pensioner Karl Andree, who reportedly faces 360 lashes for being caught with homemade wine in the kingdom.
“The review has been ongoing following the decision that was announced earlier in September to close down the Just Solutions International branch of the Ministry of Justice that was providing some of these services,” the spokeswoman added.
Following the announcement, Justice Secretary Michael Gove stated that even though the government had "profound concerns" over human rights in Saudi Arabia, it would continue to work closely with the Arab country.
British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had in the past called for the scrapping of the deal, said that the government had been "shamed" into the "U-turn on this terrible contract."
Meanwhile, Downing street announced that Cameron will write to the Saudi authorities to raise his concerns about the case of the 74-year-old expat, who has been in a prison in the Saudi city of Jeddah for over a year.
According the state-run BBC, Saudi Arabia has denied the subject of whipping Andree, adding that the "media spotlight now means that his release will either be speeded up or possibly, out of pique, get put back further."
“The Saudis privately gave the Foreign Office assurances he was not going to be flogged, but delays in Saudi bureaucracy meant that his release papers have been held up before they reached the prison,” a BBC correspondent said.
War on Yemen part of US, UK scenario to reshape region: Houthi
Yemen warns will target Saudi Arabia if Riyadh colludes with US against Sana'a
Saudi Arabia executes 7 men in largest execution since 2022
VIDEO | UK govt. Rwanda bill denounced as 'state-sponsored people trafficking'
VIDEO | Iran president visits Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural hub
North Korea: US military drills drive regional security into turmoil
UN agency chief for Palestinians urges probe into staff killings
200 days of Israeli war on Gaza and 200 headlines whitewashing genocide
VIDEO | 200 days of US-Israeli genocide
Iran’s security chief in Russia to underline Israel’s aggression
VIDEO | Smoke rises from Gaza as fighting continues
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
