Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

According to reports received, Khalil al-Marzooq, assistant secretary general of the Bahrain opposition party al-Wefaq, was arrested on 17 September. Mr. al-Marzooq is a former Deputy Speaker of Parliament who resigned with other opposition MPs in response to the government's suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in February 2011. It appears that Mr. al-Marzooq's arrest was in response to a speech he gave at a political rally on 6 September which was deemed critical of the government. The public prosecution service has ordered Mr. al-Marzooq's detention for 30 days pending an investigation. If convicted, he could face a jail sentence, with the possibility of his nationality being revoked.

The arrest of Mr. al-Marzooq is a disappointing setback to the national consensus dialogue process between the government and opposition groups and could further exacerbate existing political tensions in Bahrain. The Wefaq party has already announced it is suspending its participation in the national dialogue in protest. It is also a worrying sign of the continued repression of human rights in Bahrain, particularly the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

The Government has ensured Ireland's concerns on human rights issues in Bahrain have been conveyed regularly to the Bahraini authorities and will continue to do so. Ireland was one of 47 member states who participated in a expressing serious concern about the human rights situation in Bahrain at the UN Human Rights Council on 9 September. The statement expressed particular concern about the repression of demonstrations and the continued harassment and imprisonment of persons, including human rights defenders, because they were exercising their rights to freedom of opinion and expression. We called on the Government of Bahrain to address these concerns. Ireland will continue to follow closely the human rights situation in Bahrain and monitor Mr. al-Marzooq's case in this context.

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