Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the arrest in November of women in Bahrain for establishing and organising a public referendum, inciting hatred against the regime and disrupting the elections there; and whether they consider that such charges are compatible with Articles 15, 17, 18, 19 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

We are aware of the arrest of 15 women on 16 November on suspicion of disrupting the electoral process, belonging to an illegal group and calling for the overthrow of the government. We understand that all of them have now been released, but investigations into 12 individuals continue. Our Embassy in Bahrain will continue to monitor these cases.