PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN BAHRAIN (15 November 2016)

That this House expresses its concern about the August 2016 arrest of Ghada Jamsheer, a prominent Bahraini women's rights and pro-democracy activist, on charges related to her exercising freedom of expression and making criticisms online of the government of Bahrain; recognises the ongoing judical harassment Ghada Jamsheer has faced as a result of her fight for codified personal status laws in Bahrain to protect women in family court matters; notes that Bahraini law perpetuates gender-based discrimination and inequality, including the exclusion of Shia women from codified family law; is concerned about the ongoing targeting of human rights defenders in general, through arbitrary arrest, long-term prison sentencing without trial, and torture; views the increasing targeting of the family members, including children, of human rights defenders as a fear tactic to deter political dissent; calls for scrutiny of the British police's role in training Bahrain's security forces, who have indiscriminately deployed crowd-control weapons to quell demonstrations, including on women and children; further calls on the government of Bahrain to advance the hearing of Ghada Jamsheer, as her health is currently deteriorating in Isa Town Women's Prison; calls for her trial to be accessible to her lawyers, international media and non-governmental organisations; calls for the release of other human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily arrested while exercising their rights to free speech and assembly in Bahrain; and urges the government of Bahrain to accept the right of citizens peacefully to express dissent and cease persecuting activists.

Sponsored by:
Mr Roger Godsiff (Labour)