Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 7 July 2023 to Question 191641 on Bahrain: Gulf Strategy Fund, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the (a) Bahraini civil societies and (b) Bahrain Journalist Association to (i) operate independently of and (ii) voice opposition to the Bahraini authorities.

The FCDO remains committed to supporting reform in Bahrain and working with civil society organisations and journalists, including through projects delivered via the Gulf Strategy Fund. We recognise there are challenges to freedom of expression in Bahrain and await the new media law, in which we have encouraged the Government of Bahrain to include improved protections for journalists and to enhance wider media freedoms.