BAHRAIN

Early day motion 92, tabled 25 November 1999 by Jeremy Corbyn (Labour). Signed by 11 members.

That this House notes the visit to the United Kingdom by the new Amir of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Khalifa, on 22nd November; congratulates Channel 4 News on its secretly-filmed report about arbitrary detention and torture in Bahrain and the leading role played by the British ex-Colonel, Ian Henderson; deplores the regime's continued detention of several thousand political prisoners, such as Mr Abdul Wahab Hussein, who has been in detention without charge since 1996; is deeply concerned that, despite his coming to power on 6th March, human rights abuses have continued in Bahrain under the new Amir, including the forcible exile of dissidents and arbitrary detentions such as that of a ten-year old child, Issa Abdulla Issa Maki, from Karana village in the last few days; notes that leading opposition figure, Sheikh Abdul Ameer Al-Jamri, although now released after three years imprisonment without trial, is still under house arrest and banned from any political activity; and therefore calls on Her Majesty's Government to raise the findings of the Channel 4 News report with the Amir, and to urge him to halt all human rights violations in Bahrain, release immediately all political prisoners, halt the forcible expulsion of Bahraini citizens, allow the hundreds in exile to return, and to enter into dialogue with the Committee for Popular Petition for the restoration of Bahrain's Parliament and Constitution.

Signatures by party: Labour 10, Liberal Democrat 1.