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 page 47 of the 2022 Human Rights and Democracy Report published in July 2023, for what reason his Department removed Bahrain from the list of human rights priority countries.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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: 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, what information his Department holds on the treatment of Ahmed Jaafar in Jau Prison in Bahrain.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO continues to follow the case of Ahmed Jaafar and encourages the Government of Bahrain to meet all of its human rights commitments. We also encourage those with specific issues 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 Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2023 to Question 194645 on Bahrain: Prisoners, if he will publish his Department's assessment of what progress (a) has been made on and (b) on which areas of human rights by the Government of Bahrain.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK draws upon a range of sources when assessing the human rights situation in Bahrain. We welcome the positive steps taken by the Government of Bahrain leading to progress in a number of human rights areas, some of which have been directly supported by the UK. This includes the development of Alternative Sentencing legislation (which has benefitted over 5,650 individuals to date), the introduction of open prisons, the implementation of a new juvenile 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: 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 Human Rights and Democracy: The 2022 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Report, published in July 2023, CP 886, what the criteria were for the decision to remove Bahrain from the list of Human Rights Priority Countries.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of prisoners in Bahrain on death row; whether his Bahraini counterpart has responded to British representations about Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for taking Bahrain off the list of human rights priority countries.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to follow and discuss both the use of the death penalty and the cases referenced with the Government of Bahrain, as well as with Bahrain's oversight bodies. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear; we oppose its use in all circumstances and countries. 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 encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.
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 Human Rights and Democracy: The 2022 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Report, published in July 2023, CP 886, when the government of Bahrain was first informed about the decision to remove that country from the list of Human Rights Priority Countries.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a courtesy, we informed the Government of Bahrain in the days before the Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report was published. The Report, which details the situation in Human Rights Priority Countries, is retrospective and covers activity during the previous calendar year (2022). The decision to remove Bahrain from the list reflects consistent and systemic progress in a range of human rights areas over a number of years. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain and encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's transparency data entitled FCDO Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF) summary 2022 to 2023, published on 30 March 2023, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his projects in Bahrain covering (a) capacity building for civil society organisations and (b) research skills and training for journalists.
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, 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. 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 Journalist Association, both of which received positive feedback from beneficiaries.
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, whether his Department has made an assessment of the implications for its policy of the support to Bahrain's oversight bodies including the (a) National Institute for Human Rights and (b) Ministry of Interior's Ombudsman office in the context of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy's complaint of 29 January 2023 and published on 14 June 2023 against Bahrain's Interior Ministry in the case of (i) Haider Al-Mulla, (ii) Hamid Jaafar Mohammed and (iii) Jassim Khalil Al-Saffar.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is aware of the complaint issued by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy on 29 January 2023. The UK's close relationship with Bahrain allows us to work together to improve human rights in Bahrain, including supporting the development of oversight bodies. We engage these organisations regularly, including with respect to individual cases, welcome their assurances and urge their continued transparency.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of human rights concerns in Bahrain on diplomatic relations between the UK and Bahrain.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Bahrain is an important partner to the UK and we have a close and long-standing relationship. We benefit from a genuine and open dialogue in which we work together on a range of issues of mutual benefit, including defence, security, trade and investment, and human rights. The FCDO remains committed to supporting Bahrain's human rights reforms, including through projects delivered via the Gulf Strategy Fund. The FCDO's most recent assessment of the human rights situation in Bahrain is in the annual 2021 FCDO Human Rights and Democracy Report, published in December 2022.
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, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's document entitled Opinion No. 2 /2023 concerning Abduljalil Abdulla Yusuf Ahmed Al-Singace, published on 25 May 2023; and whether he has made representations to his counterpart in Bahrain to secure his release.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK draws on a wide range of sources when assessing human rights in Bahrain. Our close and long-standing ties with Bahrain allow UK Ministers and senior officials to discuss sensitive human rights issues regularly, privately and effectively. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad discussed a range of human rights topics during his visit to Bahrain on Sunday 12 February, including the individual case mentioned. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the appropriate Bahraini oversight body.