Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the statement by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights on 30 April, which described the “unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by police special forces” against inmates in Jau prison in Bahrain on 17 April, and following decisions by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, published in May 2020, that at least 32 inmates of Jau prison were arbitrarily detained in violation of international law and in what may constitute “crimes against humanity”, what assessment they have made of the statement made by the UK Ambassador to Bahrain on 6 May that Jau prison is a “well-run facility, with good medical provision”; and what representations they intend to make to the government of Bahrain to allow the United Nations Special Rapporteur urgent access to (a) Bahrain, and (b) Jau prison.

The FCDO considers a range of information regarding human rights in Bahrain. The visit to Jau prison on 3 May enabled the UK Ambassador and other international representatives to see the facilities at Jau prison first hand, understand the Covid-19 measures implemented, and raise human rights matters directly. We continue to raise specific cases as and when we have concerns and encourage the Government of Bahrain to engage with appropriate interested parties, including the UN.