Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2018
150. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to plans to send international observers to observe the upcoming elections in Bahrain in view of the deteriorating human rights situation there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44959/18]
View answerMy Department has not received a request to send international observers to observe the upcoming elections in Bahrain at this time. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains a roster of individuals which can be drawn upon in the event of a request for election observers from the EU or OSCE. In the event that there is a decision to deploy an EU Election Observation Mission to Bahrain, Ireland would of course be willing to respond to a call for observers.
Ireland is committed to encouraging full participation in democratic processes. As stated previously in Dáil Éireann, the considerable restriction of civil and political society space in Bahrain are particularly worrying in light of the upcoming elections. Those who express views which oppose or challenge the government have increasingly been targeted, including through parliamentary election processes.
Ireland regularly conveys its concerns about human rights to the Bahraini authorities, including through the Bahraini Embassy in London and through Ireland’s (non-resident) Ambassador to Bahrain. Ireland has also raised the issues of civil society space, as well as freedom of opinion and expression in Bahrain, at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, in the form of national statements and support for EU Statements.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will continue to monitor the situation in Bahrain, and will continue to call on Bahrain to make progress in the area of human rights and civil and political rights.
