Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reports that Bahrain's anti-terrorism legislation has been used to target civil society organisations and human rights activists in that country.

The Government has regular discussions, including at Ministerial level, on the issue of the operation of civil societies in Bahrain. We continue to encourage Bahrain to develop an enabling atmosphere for participation in society of all its citizens. We are assisting the Ministry of Labour and Social Development and the civil society sector more broadly to help to create a more enabling environment for Non-Government Organisations and civil society.