Over the
past few weeks I have received a number of campaign emails sent by my
constituents inviting me to attend a Westminster Hall debate on alleged human
rights abuse in Bahrain on Tuesday 11th of September.
Responding
to a Parliamentary Question on this subject four months ago, the Minister of
State for the Middle East reiterated the UK Government opposition to the use of
the death penalty in all countries under all circumstances, and reassured MPs
that the technical assistance offered by the UK Government is, above all, aimed
at improving the Bahraini Government’s human rights records.
However, I
note with concern the dire situation facing Maher Abbas Al-Khabbaz, Mohamed
Ramadhan and Husain Moosa. It is important that UK set an example and stand for
human rights internationally. We also need to ensure that taxpayer’s money
spent abroad delivers positive results and leads to better outcomes for
citizens.
While I
regret to inform my constituents that I will not be able to attend the debate
due to other parliamentary commitments that I have at the same time as the
debate, given the severity of the situation, I will be seeking to raise this
matter with the Minister for the Middle East when I next see him.
