Written question asked by Lord Avebury (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 24 November 2014, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 December 2014. It was answered by Lord Faulks (Conservative) on Monday, 8 December 2014 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners: Bahrain

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what reports the Chief Inspector of Prisons has received about deaths in custody in Bahrain in the course of his or his staff’s dealings with that country; and, in particular, whether he has received any reports about the death of Hassan Majeed al-Sheikh in Jaw prison on 6 November.

Answer: The Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) conducts no inspections in Bahrain itself and receives no privileged information about custodial facilities. HMIP is however engaged in a project to help establish and promote independent human rights based inspection of Bahraini custodial facilities. This is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office sponsored project and has been developed in liaison with international human rights bodies. A new Bahraini prisoner and detainee rights commission (PDRC) has been formed and HMIP has provided training to its staff in both the UK and Bahrain and has hosted visits from its staff on inspections in the UK. The PDRC is in the early stages of its work. Most places of custody, including Jaw Prison, have not yet been inspected. HMIP has no information about the death of Hassan Majeed al-Sheikh other than what has been reported in the media.

Secondary information