Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Bahrain on the detention of Hussein Abdulrasool, Fares Husain, Mohammed Jafar and Sayed Hasan Ameen; and whether a UK Government representative will attend their hearing on 11 March 2021.

We have followed the detention of Hussein Abdulrasool, Fares Husain, Mohammed Jafar and Sayed Hasan Ameen, arrested for arson, endangering the lives and property of others, and preparing and possessing Molotov cocktails, and will continue to monitor and raise their cases if and when appropriate. We understand the hearing took place on 11 March 2021 and that all were sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, which was replaced with a rehabilitation program under alternative sentencing arrangements within the spirit of the new Child Reform Justice Act. We welcome this retroactive application of the new law's content and purpose. Due to Covid restrictions, it was not possible for Embassy staff to attend the hearing in person.