Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the recent finding of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that Tagi Al Maidan is being arbitrarily detained in Bahrain, if he will make representations to the government of that country seeking the release of Mr Al Maidan.

Last September, US citizen Taqi Al Maidan was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of unlawful assembly, intent to kill police officers, destruction of police vehicles, and possession of petrol bombs. The Embassy of the United States in Manama continues to offer consular services to Mr. Al-Maidan. The British Embassy in Bahrain will remain in contact with the Embassy of the United States on this case.