The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) held a meeting with Parliamentarians from Bahrain.

Key points raised during the meeting were as follows:

• Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly continue to be restricted in Bahrain.
• The recent case of Ibrahim Sharif illustrates this. A leading secular political figure, Mr Sharif was recently convicted on a charge of inciting hatred and sentenced to a year in prison, in connection with a speech he made in 2015 calling for political change in the country.
• The Bahraini economy has suffered recently, resulting in rising unemployment (now at 16%) and housing shortages.
• The UK Government remains supportive of the Bahraini Government and there has been greater engagement between the two countries, particularly after the announcement of the construction of a new British naval base in Bahrain.
• This engagement brings with it a greater responsibility for the UK to raise human rights concerns robustly with their Bahraini counterparts.
• The Bahraini Government does respond to pressures from the international community.
• A high level UK delegation to the country would be a positive step towards greater understanding of the political situation in Bahrain.

The PHRG has campaigned on human rights in Bahrain for many years, and will continue to follow developments closely, to promote dialogue with all stakeholders in Bahrain and to use the Parliamentary platform to raise its concerns.