Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent conviction of Nabeel Rajab in Bahrain.

We are following Mr Rajab’s case closely. Our Ambassador has raised the case with the Government of Bahrain and encouraged the Bahraini authorities to ensure due process is followed and international norms of justice are upheld. British embassy officials have attended Mr Rajab’s court appearances to underline the UK’s interest in the case.

The UK government is supporting the government of Bahrain in its reform programme, including work to help Bahrain strengthen its human rights and justice sector. We are clear that more needs to be done and we raise these issues frequently and at senior levels.