Dear Ana,

Many thanks for your letter of 25 April in which you raise the issue of several Bahraini human rights defenders and their respective family members in Bahrain, and the broader human rights situation in the country. These are concerns that, as you know, I fully share, and have extensively discussed with the Bahraini authorities, NGOs, and prominent Bahraini human rights defenders themselves, both inside and outside the country.

The EEAS continues to closely monitor Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei's case and the trials against his family members (i.e., his wife Duaa Alwadaei, brother-in-law Sayed Niyar Alwadaei, mother-in-law Hajer Mansoor Hassan, and cousin Mahmood Maryooq Mansoor), among others you mention, as well as the overall human rights situation in the country, from Headquarters and via the EU Delegation in Riyadh (which is also accredited to Bahrain), in close cooperation with EU Member States represented in Manama.

Indeed, you have probably noted that in the statement delivered under Item 4 at the Human Rights Council meeting on 14 March in Geneva, the EU publicly reiterated its call to Bahrain to abide by its stated commitments and to respect freedom of speech and human rights defenders.

Most recently, the informal EU-Bahrain Human Rights dialogue on 15 May 2018 in Manama offered an important opportunity to discuss issues of particular concern for the EU, including freedom of expression, fair trial, including reported torture and ill-treatment accusations. The role, activities, and actual effectiveness of key national human rights related institutions, such as the National Institute for Human Rights, the Ombudsman and the Special Investigation Unit, were also thoroughly discussed. The reinstatement of the death penalty is another area of great concern which is and will continue to be closely followed. During the dialogue, the EU side also raised several individual cases.

We will continue focusing closely on the human rights situation in Bahrain, in both public statements and diplomatic outreach.

Hope you are well,

Warmly,

Stavros