The 7th Human Rights Dialogue between the European Union and the Kingdom of Bahrain was held in Brussels on October 31, 2023. During the dialogue, both sides shared information on recent developments in their respective regions. They reaffirmed their commitment to maintain an open and constructive dialogue in order to address human rights issues.
The discussions covered various topics, including freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, the right to a fair trial, and the death penalty. They also discussed certain individual cases.
The European Union has acknowledged the progress made by Bahrain in promoting women’s rights and actively working towards interfaith dialogue and human trafficking prevention. The EU has encouraged Bahrain to continue its efforts towards these causes and fulfill its broader human rights obligations, especially supporting human rights defenders.
The EU has also taken note of the ongoing implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan.
Both parties discussed collaboration in multilateral fora, and the EU came forward to encourage Bahrain to ratify the remaining core international human rights instruments.
The co-chairs agreed to convene the next Human Rights Dialogue in Manama in 2024. Bahrain invited the EU Special Representative for Human Rights to visit the country.
