The treatment of women activists by the Saudi Arabian government could meet the threshold for torture under international law, says a report by MPs and lawyers.

The detention review panel, a taskforce of cross-party parliamentarians and lawyers, has examined evidence from human rights groups and witnesses who claim a number of detained activists have been subject to violent and mental abuse.

The panel are "deeply concerned by the detention conditions" of the detainees, the report says.

The cases of Loujain al‐Hathloul, who campaigned for the right for women to drive in Saudi Arabia among other women's rights issues, and seven other women have been examined.

The women have allegedly been subject to assault, threats to life, sleep-deprivation, sexual harassment and solitary confinement.


Image: Crispin Blunt MP: 'Our conclusions are stark'

The Saudi government ignored a deadline set by the panel, which had asked for the kingdom to help facilitate a visit to the detainees to establish the conditions they are being kept in and their treatment.

The refusal of the Saudi government to engage with the panel is noted in the report, stating: "The Saudi Arabian government does not welcome oversight of the detainees’ condition in detention."

The Saudi government have previously rejected any claims of inappropriate or illegal conduct or actions towards the activists, some of whom they have labelled "traitors" in the government-aligned press.

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia's judiciary system does not condone, promote, or allow the use of torture," the government said in a previous statement.

One of the key findings in the report states "the detainees' treatment constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and could meet the threshold for torture under both Saudi Arabian and international law".

It also found if the allegations of torture are true, the Saudi authorities at the highest levels could be responsible for the crime of torture.

The report authors recommends a number of actions, including the release of the detainees, that their criminal charges be reviewed immediately and called for an immediate investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the mistreatment of detainees.

The panel's chair, Crispin Blunt MP, who previously said the UK is right to roll out red carpet for Saudi Arabia, said: "Our conclusions are stark.

"The Saudi women activist detainees have been treated so badly as to sustain an international investigation for torture.

"Denied proper access to medical care, legal advice or visits from their families, their solitary confinement and mistreatment are severe enough to meet the international definition of torture.

"The supervisory chain of command up to the highest levels of Saudi authority would be responsible for this."