Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
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 UN Human Rights Council on the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK is a strong supporter of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea and the important work that she does in challenging the government of Eritrea to improve its human rights record. This was reiterated by the UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights in her statement at the last session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) on 26 February. The HRC was suspended in March because of COVID-19, and arrangements to conclude the 43rd session and hold the 44th session have not yet been agreed. As the Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, told the High Commissioner for Human Rights on 20 May, the UK supports the safe resumption of the HRC in June. The UK believes that the Special Rapporteur's work on Eritrea needs to continue, and we would support a resolution renewing her mandate.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of political prisoners in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK has an open dialogue with the Government of Bahrain on a range of issues, including human rights. We do not hold figures for the number of prisoners in Bahrain.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of incidents involving Bahraini security forces torturing detainees in each year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK has an open dialogue with the Government of Bahrain on a range of issues, including human rights. Bahrain has a number of human rights oversight bodies which investigate allegations of mistreatment and human rights abuse, including the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and the Special Investigations Unit. These bodies regularly release reports with figures on the number of allegations they have investigated. We continue to encourage anybody with concerns about treatment in detention to report them to the appropriate oversight body. We also encourage the oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has recently raised the subject of the rape of female detainees in Bahrain with his Bahraini counterparts; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
I refer the hon. Member to answer of 23 October 2018 (PQ 180115). The UK has an open dialogue with the Government of Bahrain which allows us to raise issues of concern at a senior level both in London and Manama. Where we have been made aware of allegations we raise them in accordance with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's guidance on reporting such allegations. We continue to encourage anybody with concerns about treatment in detention to report them to the appropriate oversight body. We also encourage the oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, published in 2011, whether he has raised the issue of releasing detained political leaders with the Bahraini authorities since the publication of that report.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The British Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to monitor events in Bahrain closely. The UK has an open dialogue with the Government of Bahrain which allows us to raise issues of concern at a senior level both in London and Manama. This dialogue covers all aspects of the UK-Bahrain relationship including human rights.