Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the approach taken by the Bahrain Government to (a) pro-democracy protests and (b) social media content critical of the government.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our close and long-standing relationship with Bahrain continues to allow for a genuine and open dialogue in a range of areas, including human rights, on which we also recognise a number of positive steps taken by the Government of Bahrain over recent years. We continue to work with Bahrain to encourage greater media freedoms.
Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Bahrain on allegations relating to (a) human rights violations, (b) arbitrary arrest, (c) prolonged detention without a fair trial and (d) the alleged torture of children.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary last visited Bahrain in October 2024 where he met the Foreign Minister. The focus for that visit was de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, and to meet UK personnel working in the region, underscoring our commitment to regional security and stability.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office encourages all countries, including Bahrain, to uphold international human rights obligations. Our close and long-standing relationship with Bahrain continues to allow for a genuine and open dialogue by Ministers and officials in a range of areas, including human rights, on which we also recognise a number of positive steps taken by the Government of Bahrain over recent years.
Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Bahrain on allegations relating to the detention of minors in relation to peaceful protests.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary last visited Bahrain in October 2024 where he met the Foreign Minister. The focus for that visit was de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, and to meet UK personnel working in the region, underscoring our commitment to regional security and stability.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office encourages all countries, including Bahrain, to uphold international human rights obligations. Our close and long-standing relationship with Bahrain continues to allow for a genuine and open dialogue by Ministers and officials in a range of areas, including human rights, on which we also recognise a number of positive steps taken by the Government of Bahrain over recent years.