Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the call by Amnesty International on 16 June for Bahrain to halt the use of its ‘Bahrain BeAware’ contact tracing application; and (2) what representations they intend to make to the government of Bahrain to (a) remind it of its obligations under Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and (b) encourage that government to introduce safeguards to ensure the (i) anonymity of ‘Bahrain BeAware’ user data, and (ii) destruction of digital records at regular intervals.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Bahrain BeAware application was introduced by the Bahraini government to advance contact tracing efforts and save lives during the Covid-19 emergency as part of its Trace, Test and Treat strategy which has received praise from the World Health Organization (WHO). We understand that downloading the application and registration as a user is optional entirely voluntary. Users not in quarantine or mandatory self-isolation can uninstall the application at any time. All users are informed of its use of GPS software before downloading. The Government of Bahrain have been clear in their assurances of user privacy through a fully encrypted and automated process. , Any Location data t older than 6 weeks is deleted automatically from the system. Users can also request that their data is deleted from the system at any time.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Bahrain authorities' decision to release some prisoners during the covid-19 pandemic, if he will make representations to the Government of Bahrain on the release of (a) Sheikh Ali Salman, (b) Hassan Mushaima and (c) other imprisoned Bahraini political opposition leaders.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
From January to June 2020, 1,055 Bahraini prisoners have received royal pardons and been released from prison. In March, a further 585 prisoners received alternative, non-custodial sentences. We welcome the continued use of alternative sentencing in Bahrain, which was introduced with UK Government support for Bahraini-led reforms of the judicial system. The use of alternative sentencing is governed by clear eligibility guidelines. So far, over 1,700 alternative sentences have been handed down since 2017.
We continue to monitor the cases of Hassan Mushaima and Sheikh Ali Salman.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2020 to Question HL3434, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy on the veracity of statements on covid-19 in Bahrain prisons from the Bahraini National Institute for Human Rights of the 9 April 2020 Reuters article which found that prisoners in that country were subject to overcrowding, poor sanitation and lack of medical care.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Government of Bahrain has been clear in public statements that access to appropriate medical care for those in detention is guaranteed by the Constitution of Bahrain. Bahrain has stated publicly that under normal circumstances, any prisoner wishing to see a doctor is taken to the prison clinic, with referral to specialist facilities where required, but as part of the COVID-19 precautions, all medical consultations now take place via a video call, ensuring the safety of the patient and the medical staff. We welcome these assurances from the Government of Bahrain and urge continued transparency.
We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to raise them with the appropriate Bahraini human rights oversight body. We continue to encourage the oversight bodies in Bahrain to carry out thorough and swift investigations into any such claims.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to my letter of 9 April 2020 to the Bahraini Ambassador to the UK and copied to the British Ambassador to Bahrain, if he will make representations to his Bahraini counterpart on the welfare all political prisoners who allege medical negligence against them during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
I refer the Honourable Member to my response of 2 June 2020 to question 48474.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Bahraini counterpart on ensuring that prisoners in that country can access (a) external hospital appointments and (b) other healthcare during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Government of Bahrain has been clear in public statements that access to appropriate medical care for those in detention is guaranteed by the Constitution of Bahrain. Bahrain has stated publicly that any prisoner wishing to see a doctor is taken to the prison clinic, with referral to specialist facilities where required. We have also been given categorical assurances privately. As part of the COVID-19 precautions, all medical consultations take place via a video call, ensuring the safety of the patient and the medical staff. We welcome these assurances from the Government of Bahrain and urge continued transparency.
We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to raise them with the appropriate Bahraini human rights oversight body. We continue to encourage the oversight bodies in Bahrain to carry out thorough and swift investigations into any such claims.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports by the Committee to Protect Journalists that the authorities of Jau Prison in Bahrain placed Bahraini political prisoner Mahmoud Al-Jaziri in solitary confinement in response to statements made by the Bahraini National Institute for Human Rights (NIHR) about COVID-19 prevention measures inside the prison; what assessment they have made of the accuracy of the NIHR’s statements in regard to those prevention measures; and what representations they have made to government of Bahrain about the case of Mahmoud Al-Jaziri.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the case of Mahmoud Al-Jaziri and have previously raised it with the Government of Bahrain. Our Embassy in Manama have spoken to the National Institute for Human Rights and have no reason to doubt their statements regarding COVID-19 prevention measures.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the statement by non-governmental organisations which calls for the release of political prisoners and raises concerns about the impact of prison conditions in Bahrain on the spread of COVID-19, published on 6 April, what representations, if any, they have made to the government of Bahrain about ensuring (1) the release of political prisoners vulnerable to COVID-19, and (2) the provision of adequate protective materials to prisoners; and what response they received to any such representations.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have spoken to the Government of Bahrain about COVID-19 prevention measures for prisoners and staff. They have assured us that these measures are consistent with World Health Organisation standards. 1,506 prisoners have been released or given non-custodial sentences since 12 March.