Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Bahrain on the detention and treatment of political prisoners.

We encourage the Government of Bahrain to respect the rights of all peaceful opposition figures. If we have specific concerns around convictions or sentencing we raise these with the Government of Bahrain as part of our wider dialogue on human rights and reform. The UK’s reform assistance programme is focused on strengthening human rights and the rule of law, including torture prevention and the inauguration of the Ombudsman’s Office for the Ministry of the Interior, which has the responsibility for investigation allegations of detainee mistreatment. Our Ambassador in Bahrain has also raised our broader concerns about detainee rights and prison conditions with the Government of Bahrain at the highest levels, and will continue to do so.