British Prime Minister David Cameron will write to the Saudi government to discuss the “extremely concerning case” of a 74-year-old Briton sentenced to 360 lashes for possessing homemade wine, the prime minister’s spokesman said Tuesday.
The spokesman said the British Foreign Office has been providing consular support to Karl Andree, who has already spent more than a year in prison for transporting the wine in his car.
“Given the ongoing concerns and the fact we would like to see more progress, the PM is writing today to the Saudis to further raise the case on the back of the action that has already been taken by the Foreign Office,” the spokeswoman said Tuesday.
‘Embassy staff are continuing to assist Mr. Andree’
In a separate development, Secretary of State for Justice Michael Gove announced Tuesday that the UK would withdraw its bid for a $9 million contract to provide training for the Saudi penal system. The contract was submitted by the commercial arm of the British Ministry of Justice in August 2014, the same month Andree was arrested.
“Our embassy staff are continuing to assist Mr. Andree, including regular visits to check on his welfare, and frequent contact with his lawyer and family,” a spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office told CNN. “Ministers and senior officials have raised Mr. Andree’s case with the Saudi government and we are actively seeking his release as soon as possible.”