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.

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.