Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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125. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps being taken at EU and international level to address human rights concerns in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6406/19]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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126. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the EU or international community has formally investigated reports of torture in prisons in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6407/19]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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127. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action taken or that will be taken regarding the detention of human rights activists in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6408/19]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 to 127, inclusive, together.

The human rights situation in Bahrain is deteriorating, and is a matter of growing concerns. Despite the Bahraini Government stating its commitment to improving its human rights record, citizens in Bahrain are living in an increasingly restrictive society. In recent years there has been further erosion of fundamental freedoms, including freedom of opinion and expression.

Respect for human rights is an integral part of Ireland’s foreign policy. We continually advocate for the right of civil society actors and human rights defenders to operate in a safe environment, without fear of reprisal for speaking out. Ireland, as a small country, amplifies its voice on human rights issues through multilateral engagement and through measured recommendations offered as part of constructive dialogue. Ireland has repeatedly raised Bahraini issues at the UN Human Rights Council.

For example, we have repeatedly highlighted concerns about the human rights situation in Bahrain as part of our Item 4 Statements ("human rights situations that require the Council’s attention") over the last few years. Ireland has expressed concern about the treatment of human rights defenders and the shrinking of civil society space in Bahrain. At the last HRC Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain's human rights record in 2017, Ireland urged Bahrain to accept an open offer by the OHCHR to visit Bahrain.

Ireland urges all states to safeguard the human rights of prisoners and detainees and is committed to the prevention and eradication of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Our voice has been prominent in highlighting this thematic issue. HRC Resolution 36/16, which Ireland co-sponsored, calls upon states to ‘investigate promptly, effectively and impartially all alleged human rights violations and abuses suffered by persons deprived of their liberty, in particular cases involving death, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, to provide effective remedies to the victims, and to ensure that detention administrations cooperate fully with the investigating authority and preserve all evidence’. Ireland has also co-sponsored thematic Resolutions in the Human Rights Council concerning human rights in the administration of justice; and concerning torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

My Department will continue to monitor developments in Bahrain, and to call on the Bahraini Government to deliver on its stated commitment to make progress in relation to human rights. While Ireland has positive bilateral relations with Bahrain, this does not prevent us from raising our concerns through the appropriate channels. My Department has consistently raised issues of human rights in Bahrain directly with Bahraini officials, as well as at EU and international level, and we will continue to do so whenever opportunities arise.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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128. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the Rohingya; the efforts being made by the EU and international community to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6409/19]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Since military security operations in Rakhine State escalated in August 2017, approximately 720,000 refugees, mostly Rohingya, have fled to Bangladesh. There have been reports of further violence emerging from Rakhine State in recent weeks.

In response, Ireland has sought to deploy political pressure with the aim of easing the crisis. We have done this through bilateral contacts in Myanmar, and through our membership of both the EU and UN. This included active support for the establishment of an Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (IIFFM) on Myanmar.

The report of the Mission, which was published in August 2018, found that human rights violations amounting to crimes against humanity and war crimes have been committed by members of the Burmese Military (Tatmadaw) and other security forces in Rakhine as well as in Kachin and Shan States. The IIFFM report also finds that there is sufficient evidence of crimes committed in Rakhine State being so grave that they warrant a competent court to determine the liability for the crime of genocide of those in the Tatmadaw chain of command.

Ireland has worked closely with EU and UN partners to respond to this crisis and one of the key issues we have focused on so far is the issue of accountability. At the 39th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Ireland actively supported the creation of a resolution on Myanmar which mandates a new impartial independent mechanism to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse evidence of the most serious violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011. This is an important step in facilitating fair and independent criminal proceedings for these crimes. We will continue to advocate for this mechanism including at the upcoming 40th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Within the EU, Ireland has pressed for progress within Myanmar on these issues. The EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted Conclusions on Myanmar on 10 December 2018, which respond to the IIFFM report and call on Myanmar to hold those responsible for these crimes to account and to take meaningful action towards the creation of conditions conducive to a safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of those displaced from Rakhine State to their places of origin. This new set of Conclusions builds on the earlier Council Conclusions on Myanmar of 26 February 2018, which provided for targeted restrictive measures against senior military officers of the Myanmar Security Forces responsible for these acts.

Ireland has also provided direct funding of €2.325 million since 2017 to the Rohingya crisis response, supporting vulnerable communities living in conflict-affected areas of Rakhine state and Rohingya refugee settlements in Bangladesh. Our support has focused on food, nutrition, shelter, water and sanitation. In addition, experts in water and sanitation and humanitarian coordination were deployed from Irish Aid’s Rapid Response Corps and 37 tonnes of Irish Aid pre-positioned emergency relief supplies were dispatched for distribution by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Ireland has also provided substantial humanitarian support via the UN-administered Central Emergency Response Fund.

It is clear that, ultimately, the long-standing drivers of conflict in Myanmar need to be addressed. In regard to Rakhine State, the IIFFM recognises that the implementation of the findings of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State (The Annan Commission) provides a roadmap for sustainable and community-led peacebuilding in Rakhine State, and for the development of impoverished regions there. Ireland has strongly and repeatedly called for the full implementation of the Advisory Commission’s findings and will continue to do so. Officials in my Department, including in the Embassy of Ireland in Thailand which is also accredited to Myanmar, will continue to monitor the situation.