Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 54: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will meet with representatives of the Bahrain Government to demand the release of Irish trained doctors from the Royal College of Surgeons held in detention centres at some undisclosed locations in Bahrain. [20375/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I have already outlined my concerns about the ongoing detention and trial of forty eight medical personnel, a number of whom were trained by the RCSI and also worked in Ireland at one stage. I have called clearly for such personnel to be released, unless charged or unless the Bahraini authorities can present clear evidence that they may have committed serious criminal offences, and for independent observers to be allowed monitor the ongoing legal proceedings.

I welcome the fact that a considerable number of the medical personnel charged are no longer in custody and that a decision has now been taken to transfer the ongoing legal proceedings from a military to a civilian court. The Government has already relayed its concerns directly to the Bahraini authorities on this matter. Ambassador Holohan met on 20 June with the Bahraini Ambassador in Riyadh to inform him of my own deep concerns, and those of the Irish Government and people in relation to recent events.

The Government has also been pressing for an active response at EU level. High Representative Ashton has issued a number of strong statements, most recently one on 1 July which welcomed the establishment of an independent international commission into the events of February and March. The Taoiseach also raised Bahrain at the European Council on 23-24 June, where Ireland succeeded in having a reference to the current unsatisfactory human rights situation in Bahrain, including the trials and sentencing of opposition members, made in the final Declaration. The Government will continue to convey its concerns in the fullest terms to the Bahraini authorities, through our Embassy in Riyadh and through EU and other appropriate channels.