Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to the Government of Bahrain on the death sentences imposed by that country on (a) Maher Abbas al-Khabbaz, (b) Sayed Ahmed al-Abar, (c) Zuhair Ebrahim Jasim Abdullah, (d) Husain Ebrahim Ali Husain Marzooq, (e) Husain Moosa, (f) Mohamed Ramadhan, (g) Husain Ali Mehdi and (h) Salman Isa Ali Salman.

Ministers and officials continue to reiterate the UK's opposition to use of the death penalty, publicly and privately, with senior members of the Bahraini Government. During a visit to Bahrain in July the former Minister for the Middle East met with senior members of the Bahraini Government and discussed human rights issues, including the death penalty where she restated the UK position. Lord Ahmad also met with Bahrain Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani in July, and again in September during the margins of the UN General Assembly. During the meetings they discussed a number of shared human rights priorities, including specific human rights cases of interest. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear. The Government of Bahrain is fully aware of our position.