Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on taking diplomatic steps to help encourage the Government of Bahrain to release Hasan Mushaima and other political prisoners in Bahrain.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
Officials and ministers have regular discussions with senior Bahraini counterparts on human rights, including most recently during the former Minister for the Middle East's Amanda Milling visit to Bahrain from 2-3 July. We continue to follow and discuss the case of Hassan Mushaima and others, as necessary, with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Bahraini counterpart on the cases of (a) Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace and (b) Hasan Mushaima.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Officials and ministers have regular discussions with senior Bahraini counterparts on human rights, including most recently during my visit to Bahrain from 2-3 July.
We continue to follow and discuss the cases of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace, Hassan Mushaima and others with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies. We continue to encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the appropriate Bahraini oversight body.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will make representations to the Bahrain Government on (a) ending punitive measures against Hassan Mushaima and (b) his immediate and unconditional release.
Answered by Amanda Milling
We continue to monitor and discuss the case of Hassan Mushaima and others with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Bahrain on securing the immediate release of (a) Hasan Mushaima and (b) Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace.
Answered by Amanda Milling
We continue to monitor and regularly raise the cases of Hasan Mushaima, Dr Abduljalil al-Singace and others with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies.
The British Ambassador and other international representatives visited Jau prison on 3 May 2021. Officials and ministers regularly discuss human rights issues and individual cases with senior members of the Government of Bahrain, as well as with the independent human rights oversight bodies. The visit by Minister of State for South and Central Asia, UN and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad to Bahrain from 13-14 February was such an opportunity. We continue to encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help encourage the release of numerous political prisoners in Bahrain.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Officials and ministers regularly discuss human rights issues and individual cases with senior members of the Government of Bahrain, as well as with the independent human rights oversight bodies. The visit by Minister of State for South and Central Asia, UN and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad to Bahrain from 13-14 February was such an opportunity. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the conclusions of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on Bahrain, published on 4 March, what assessment they have made of those findings; and what representations will they make for the immediate, and unconditional, release of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Naji Fateel from prison.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK draws on a wide range of sources when assessing human rights issues in Bahrain and regularly raises these and individual cases with the Government of Bahrain, at senior levels, both in private and public. We encourage those with concerns to raise them with the appropriate Bahraini human rights oversight body and continue to encourage them to carry out thorough and swift investigations into any such claims.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 112655, what human rights topics were discussed, and whether the following matters were raised (a) human rights violations in Bahrain (b) human rights violations in Saudi Arabia (c) cases of political prisoners (d) the death penalty, and (e) Gulf states’ role in human rights abuses in Yemen, in her meetings with high-level representatives of the GCC on 20 December 2021.
Answered by Amanda Milling
A wide range of issues were discussed during the meetings with Gulf Cooperation Council representatives at Chevening House on 20 December 2021, including human rights. The UK has a strong record of protecting human rights and promoting our values globally. We regularly encourage Gulf States to uphold international human rights obligations. Our close relationship with Gulf counterparts allows us to raise sensitive human rights issues, in private and in public. Our views, including our opposition to the use of the death penalty, are well known.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, further to the Answer of 9 December 2021 to Question 85209, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the steps the Government has taken to raise the cases of (a) Dr Abduljalil Al Singace and (b) Hasan Mushaima with (i) the Government of Bahrain and (ii) the relevant oversight bodies.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We continue to monitor and discuss the cases of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace, and Hassan Mushaima, with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on which dates the Government has raised the case of (a) Dr Abduljalil Al Singace and (b) Hasan Mushaima with (i) the Government of Bahrain and (ii) the relevant oversight bodies.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We continue to monitor and discuss the cases of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace, and Hassan Mushaima, with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make representations to her Bahraini counterpart for the immediate and unconditional release from prison of Dr Abduljalil AlSingace and Hassan Mushaima.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We continue to monitor and raise the cases of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace, Hassan Mushaima and others as necessary, with the Bahraini Government as well as with the oversight bodies.