Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Government of Kuwait on the imprisonment in absentia of the Kuwaiti Shia dissident Mohamad al-Mail; and if she will make a statement.

We have a close relationship with Kuwait and regularly discuss a wide range of issues including the importance of rights for all religious groups in Kuwait. Kuwait has independent courts and an independent legal system. I visited Kuwait in May for our regular Ministerial Dialogue where I discussed a wide range of topics with the Foreign Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister, as well as meeting with civil society representatives.