The only way to secure the release of Saudi women’s rights activists is to work with the kingdom – not against it

On 2 January 2019, three members of the British parliament offered Saudi Arabia an opportunity to engage on the fraught subject of its most well-known political detainees.

The case of the women’s democracy activists has rightly achieved international notoriety, while the evidence to form a detention review panel (DRP) comes from the reports of respected human rights organisations.

As chair of the new panel, I have accepted the task of reviewing the detention conditions of women’s rights activists and their supporters because I believe it should command the confidence both of Saudi Arabia and its critics for fairness.

During my last 21 years as a Conservative MP, I have defended the kingdom, supported continued UK arms exports to the Saudi-led coalition operating in the Yemen, and welcomed the visit of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to the UK last year.

I first met the crown prince when leading the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee visit to Riyadh in December 2015 as a considered parliamentary authority on the Middle East.

As well as Dr Paul Williams, a Labour MP who visited Saudi Arabia as an official guest in April 2018, and previously has worked as a medical examiner for evidence of torture; Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Education and the first British-Palestinian MP, also adds relevant experience to this cross-party panel.

It isn’t an official British initiative; indeed, we have not officially informed the UK government of the DRP’s mandate. But our wish is to be granted access to the campaigners, and to interview officials responsible for their detention, to give the most authoritative account of events possible.

There is now an open question of how Britain will recast its relations with Saudi Arabia in light of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi as well as the extraordinary contradiction between recent societal liberalisation in Saudi Arabia and the detention of people who campaigned for these changes.

Saudi Arabia has been commended for allowing women the right to drive; the opening of cinemas and other entertainment establishments; ending the power of arrest of the religious police.

In parallel however, there have been arrests of the activists who for years had advocated for these changes.

After a proposal made by us, Saudi Arabia has had a major government reshuffle. Ibrahim al-Assaf has replaced Adel al-Jubeir as foreign minister, and the Saudi ambassador to the UK has been recalled to advise King Salman.

As a believer that this could be a welcome indicator of policy reappraisal inside the Saudi government, I sent a letter to the new foreign minister asking for his assistance in facilitating the panel’s visit to Saudi Arabia in a bid to independently assess the conditions of the detainees. And I hope we can be part of Saudi Arabia turning the page on internal repression of civil society activists in 2018.

As envisaged by Khashoggi, and represented by women activists and their supporters, I believe that – consistent with wider societal reforms under Saudi Vision 2030 – the Saudi government should judge that an active civil society and open debate is not only right, but a necessary part of a political system that is meant to be a consultative monarchy.

The alternative is an absolute monarchy, and down that route lies disaster and eventually, revolution.

But before that, terror and repression remain huge threats. Friends of Saudi Arabia, of which I count myself, want to help it navigate away from this appalling prospect.

I believe that through engagement, the Saudi government will be able to explain the future role for these democracy activists in society, recognising that whatever has happened to them in the past is now in the past.

I strongly believe that we would be amiss to cut ourselves off from Saudi Arabia without expending every effort to avert disaster.

In 2015, the British government cancelled the contract for the Ministry of Justice to provide advice on the improvement of its detention system. This was populist nonsense.

To say that the UK could have no part to play in improving a justice system different to our own, but which was seeking advice on how to deliver more internationally compliant standards, was a betrayal of our international humanitarian duty.

I am offering myself to the Saudi government to enable progress, and in today’s crisis conditions, to help rescue its tarnished reputation for justice.

I am hopeful that the Saudi authorities will see the opportunity the DRP provides for Saudi Arabia to present its case and to promote any changes in policy towards civil society activists. This is an opportunity for the country to set a course for a better future for its society and its economy and to learn from the disasters of 2018.

Crispin Blunt is Conservative MP for Reigate and chair of the cross-party Saudi women activist detainees panel