Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the press release by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy entitled Bahrain convicts 13 political prisoners in a mass trial amid credible torture allegations, published on 28 September 2023, whether his Department holds information on alleged use of (a) mass trials and (b) torture in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO is aware of reporting about the court proceedings referenced in the press release. We have previously been assured in other cases (where individuals linked to one charge are tried together) that an individual's right to separate legal representation of their choice is guaranteed by law. We continue to encourage allegations of torture or mistreatment to be reported to the appropriate national oversight body whose duty it is to carry out full and independent investigations into such claims.
Written Evidence Dec. 18 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North AfricaFound: MENA0036 - The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North Africa Bahrain Institute for Rights and
Written Evidence Dec. 18 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North AfricaFound: authoritarian (defined here as highly concentrated and centralised Government power maintained by political
Mentions:
1: Ian Paisley (DUP - North Antrim) There is an all-party parliamentary group whose secretariat is BIRD—the Bahrain Institute for Rights - Speech Link
2: Bob Blackman (Con - Harrow East) Tens of thousands of political prisoners, the overwhelming majority being peaceful, have been arrested - Speech Link
3: Anna Firth (Con - Southend West) UN Human Rights Council dispatch an international fact-finding mission to Iran to visit the regime’s prisoners—to - Speech Link
Written Evidence Dec. 18 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North AfricaFound: require the release of all political prisoners in Iran and other MENA countries.
Written Evidence Dec. 18 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North AfricaFound: a.GCC, especially Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain: Negotiations for a free trade agreement between
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make representations to his Bahraini counterpart on the release of (a) Sheikh Ali Salman, (b) Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, (c) Hassan Mushaima and (d) other members of the political opposition in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO continues to follow matters that relate to human rights within Bahrain closely, including some individual cases. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed human rights with Bahrain Foreign Minister Al Zayani on 22 April. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain and to encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.