Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Tánaiste for his forthright comments on Bahrain. Any time I have raised the issue, the Tánaiste has been strident in his condemnation of the human rights abuses that have taken place.

It is worrying that despite the efforts of the Tánaiste and of the international community the authorities in Bahrain continue to crack down on legitimate peaceful human rights protests.

It is of significant concern that the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, has a commercial partnership with the Bahraini regime but has yet to condemn publicly the arrest, detention and shockingly cruel treatment of doctors acting in accordance with the Hippocratic oath and who were trained by the RCSI. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade wrote to RCSI but I have seen no public condemnation of the regime by the college. I cannot fault the Government. I can fault that body, which carries considerable international merit.

Will the Tánaiste call on RCSI to condemn publicly the actions of the Bahraini regime and urge it to cease its violent actions against peaceful human rights protesters?

See this speech in context