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 the alleged failure of the Bahraini Ministry of Interior Ombudsman to conduct an independent and thorough investigation into allegations of torture of Sayed Nizar Alwadaei, Hajer Mansoor Hassan, and Mahmood Marzooq Mansoor.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the appropriate oversight body and we encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims. We understand that the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman has been contacted about these specific cases and is carrying out appropriate investigations.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 January (HL4611), whether the UK played any role in awarding the EU Chaillot Prize to the Bahraini Ministry of Interior Ombudsman in 2014; and if so, what efforts they made to lobby others to secure that result.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supported the decision to award the Chaillot Prize to the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman in 2014. The decision was reached through consensus by all 28 EU Member States. The UK believes that a body that has the power to investigate allegations of mistreatment in a timely, independent and transparent manner can be of great benefit to Bahraini society.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain regarding the denial of medical care to Abduljalil Al-Singace and Hassan Mushaima, who were sentenced to life imprisonment by the National Safety Court in June 2011.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have raised these cases with the Government of Bahrain. The UK monitors events in Bahrain closely. We continue to raise concerns about human rights with the Bahraini authorities, both in private and in public. We encourage anyone with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the oversight bodies, including the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
Her Majesty's Government whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working towards securing the temporary release of Mohammad Ramadan, who was sentenced to death by a Bahraini court in December 2014.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It would be for the Bahraini authorities to process any application for temporary release on compassionate grounds and we would suggest any application be put to the relevant authorities and oversight bodies, including the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Kingdom of Bahrain on the treatment of family members of Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The British Government raises concerns about human rights with the Bahraini authorities in private and in public. We encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain are monitoring this issue closely.
The Ministry of Interior Ombudsman has responsibility for investigating allegations of mistreatment in detention. We encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ombudsman, and we urge the Ombudsman to carry out thorough investigations into any such allegations.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Bahrain for the release from prison of (1) Abduljalil al-Singace, (2) Hussain Hubail, and (3) Hasan Mushaima, in the light of their medical conditions.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman. We also continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments. We continue to raise concerns about human rights with the Bahraini authorities both in private and in public.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to help prevent renewed political violence in Bahrain, in the light of recent reports of executions, arrests and deprivations of citizenship in that country.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We continue to urge the Government of Bahrain to guarantee and protect political freedoms for all its citizens. We also work closely with the Government of Bahrain to encourage progress on human rights and to encourage the development of effective and accountable institutions, strengthening the rule of law and justice reform. In particular the UK continues to support oversight institutions, such as the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission, in order to provide independent oversight of police behaviour and detention standards.
The Government of Bahrain is fully aware of our opposition to the use of capital sentences in all circumstances. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his public statement on 15 January. We will continue to raise this issue, and other human rights concerns, with the Bahraini authorities.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Bahrainian Government on the detention of members of Sayed Alwadaei's family in that country.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain are monitoring this issue closely. The Ministry of Interior Ombudsman has responsibility for investigating allegations of mistreatment in detention. We encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ombudsman, and we urge the Ombudsman to carry out thorough investigations into any such allegations. We also continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments. We continue to raise concerns about human rights with the Bahraini authorities both in private and in public.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the training and assistance provided by HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ staff and police to assist or develop local inspection and monitoring of places of custody in Bahrain in 2014–15, whether they have since provided further training and assistance, in particular to the Criminal Investigation Directorate headquarters in Manama; and what assessment they have made of reports of torture at those headquarters and elsewhere in Bahrain.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
HMI Prisons delivered refresher training on how to inspect police facilities to the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission (PDRC) before the latter conducted its police custody inspections. HMI Prisons had no involvement in the inspections themselves. HMI Prisons continues to encourage the PDRC to focus on three key priorities: examining the response to allegations of torture, including the detainee voice in all reports, and producing well structured reports with clear judgements. HMI Prisons has not provided further training on police custody inspection to the PDRC. HMI Prisons has delivered no training to and has had no direct engagement with the Criminal Investigation Directorate.
The UK government continues to urge all allegations of torture or mistreatment in detention to be reported to the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman, whose duty it is to carry out full, independent investigations into these allegations. We will continue to raise concerns about human rights with the Government of Bahrain whenever we have them.
The UK continues to support Bahraini-led reform through a package of technical assistance. We believe it is not good enough to criticise countries from the sidelines. Only by working with Bahrain can we bring about the changes we would like to see in the country. Any assistance delivered by or on behalf of the UK Government complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Amnesty International report concerning Bahrain<i> Window-dressing or Pioneers of Change</i>, published in November, in the light of the UK's connection with, and aid to, Bahrain; and what assessment they have made of the report's recommendations to the Bahrain authorities including the Ombudsman of the Ministry of the Interior and the Special Investigation Unit.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) received a copy of the report from Amnesty International on Monday 21 November. We note that they have made a series of recommendations to the UK Government which we will look at closely.
The FCO undertakes a number of projects to assist our Bahraini partners including with the Ministry of Interior's Ombudsman and the Special Investigations Unit. We believe that the UK support to Bahrain's reform programme is the most constructive way to achieve long lasting and sustainable reform in Bahrain. While it will take time to see the full results, UK support is having a direct, positive impact on areas of concern.