Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 112655, what human rights topics were discussed, and whether the following matters were raised (a) human rights violations in Bahrain (b) human rights violations in Saudi Arabia (c) cases of political prisoners (d) the death penalty, and (e) Gulf states’ role in human rights abuses in Yemen, in her meetings with high-level representatives of the GCC on 20 December 2021.

A wide range of issues were discussed during the meetings with Gulf Cooperation Council representatives at Chevening House on 20 December 2021, including human rights. The UK has a strong record of protecting human rights and promoting our values globally. We regularly encourage Gulf States to uphold international human rights obligations. Our close relationship with Gulf counterparts allows us to raise sensitive human rights issues, in private and in public. Our views, including our opposition to the use of the death penalty, are well known.