Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 15479 on Bahrain: Demonstrations, whether he has made representations to his Bahraini counterpart on (a) the detention of Sayed Hashim and (b) allegations of his abuse by the Bahraini authorities during his arrest.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Lord Ahmad has not made representations as Minister of State for the Middle East on this matter but as the answer to Question 15479 made clear, the FCDO are aware of the detention of Sayed Hashim, and we continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet all of its human rights commitments. We also encourage those with specific concerns to raise them directly with the appropriate Bahraini oversight body.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to his Bahraini counterpart on the (a) arrest and (b) raid on the house of Sayed Hashim Neama Al-Wadaei on 22 February 2024, in the context of his mother's arrest for protesting during the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix; and if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of these events.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO has been made aware of the alleged incidents, and we continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet all of its human rights commitments. We also encourage those with specific concerns to raise them directly with the appropriate Bahraini oversight body.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and Human Rights Watch on 6 December that 13 people have been unfairly imprisoned in Bahrain, and what are the implications for the funding under the Gulf Strategy Fund given to Bahraini bodies which are accused of committing torture and whitewashing human rights abuses.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO follows matters that relate to human rights in Bahrain closely, is aware of reporting about the court proceedings referenced and continues to encourage allegations of torture or mistreatment to be reported to the appropriate national oversight body. 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 remain committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain, including through the Gulf Strategy Fund, itself subject to robust oversight measures and rigorous risk assessments to ensure projects are effective, consistent with our values and in line with our human rights obligations.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the publication by the Human Rights Watch on the sentencing of 13 people to prison in Bahrain, published on 6 December 2023, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Bahrain on due process.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO continues to follow matters that relate to human rights in Bahrain closely and is aware of reporting about the court proceedings referenced. 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. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet its international and domestic human rights commitments.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the publication by Human Rights Watch on the sentencing of 13 people to prison in Bahrain, published on 6 December 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO continues to follow matters that relate to human rights in Bahrain closely and is aware of reporting about the court proceedings referenced. 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. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet its international and domestic human rights commitments.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2023 to Question 317 on Bahrain: Human Rights, what reports his Department has received on the ability of (a) civil society organisations and (b) journalists who have received support from the Gulf Strategy Fund to (i) operate independently from and (ii) voice opposition to the Bahraini authorities.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO remains committed to supporting reform in Bahrain, including through projects delivered via the Gulf Strategy Fund. We work closely with implementing partners to ensure that projects deliver results and value for money, including in the case of the two projects in question which provided training for a) 38 members of civil societies; and b) 26 members of the Bahrain Journalists Association. Beneficiaries of both projects provided positive feedback on the effectiveness of the training provided.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2023 to Question 317 on Bahrain: Human Rights, what data his Department holds on the support that (a) civil society organisations and (b) journalists have received through the Gulf Strategy Fund.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Information about Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF) projects delivered by the British Embassy in Bahrain in FY 22/23 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-development-assistance-oda-fcdo-international-programme-spend-objectives-2022-to-2023/fcdo-gulf-strategy-fund-gsf#:~:text=Supports%20delivery%20of%20a%20safe,around%20the%20World%20Cup%2022. The FCDO remains committed to supporting reform in Bahrain, including through projects delivered via the GSF.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government by what process the removal of Bahrain from the list of human rights priority countries in the 2022 FCDO Human Rights and Democracy Report, published on 13 July, was approved.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The process for the removal of Bahrain from the list of FCDO Human Rights Priority Countries was via a Ministerial Submission. The decision to remove Bahrain from the Human Rights Priority Country list reflects consistent and systemic progress in a range of human rights areas over a number of years, some of which have been directly supported by the UK. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain and to encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.
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 recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of prison reform in Bahrain in the last five years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the positive steps taken by the Government of Bahrain leading to progress in a number of human rights areas, including reforms to the prison system. This includes the development of Alternative Sentencing legislation (which has benefitted over 5,680 individuals to date), the introduction of an open prison system, the implementation of a new child justice system, and the establishment of specialist human rights oversight bodies. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain and to encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.
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, with reference to the Answer of 7 July 2023 to Question 191641 on Bahrain: Gulf Strategy Fund, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the (a) Bahraini civil societies and (b) Bahrain Journalist Association to (i) operate independently of and (ii) voice opposition to the Bahraini authorities.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO remains committed to supporting reform in Bahrain and working with civil society organisations and journalists, including through projects delivered via the Gulf Strategy Fund. We recognise there are challenges to freedom of expression in Bahrain and await the new media law, in which we have encouraged the Government of Bahrain to include improved protections for journalists and to enhance wider media freedoms.