§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have been given any reason for the postponement by the Bahrain Government of the visit by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, originally agreed by them at the meeting of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in August 1998; what date has now been proposed for the visit; and whether they will press the Bahraini authorities to release in particular Sheikh Hussain al-Daihi, Sheikh Ali Ashur, Sheikh Hassan Sultan, Hassan Meshma'a, Sayyid Ibrahim Adnan al-Alawi and Abd al-Wahab Hussain, who were arrested on 21 and 22 January 1996 and have not been charged with any criminal offence. [HL4265]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThe Bahraini authorities have not discussed with us the postponement of the visit to Bahrain by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. We believe that dates for a future visit are under discussion between the Bahrainis and the Working Group. We expect all states to co-operate with UN human rights mechanisms. Bahrain is no exception. We will be monitoring the situation carefully.
The Bahraini authorities are aware of our concern over detainees. We welcomed the recent release of 320. We have urged the Bahraini opposition to react positively to the Amir's gestures towards reconciliation with the Shia population of Bahrain.