Bahrain Mirror: Deputy Foreign Minister of the Italian government, Marina Sereni, said that she visited Bahrain on November 17 and raised human rights issues with Bahraini officials.

During the visit she paid to Bahrain, Sereni met with a number of officials including Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Ben Mubarak.

In a letter sent by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Bahraini human rights organizations, it expressed its deep concern about Bahrain's deteriorating human rights situation, stressing that it is an issue of great importance to Italy.

Rome indicated that representatives of the Italian government, including Deputy Foreign Minister Marina Sereni, do not hesitate to exert efforts to encourage Bahraini officials to involve more in the protection of human rights.

The Italian Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that the authorities are aware of the human rights problems in Bahrain, especially concerning restrictions imposed on civil and political rights, respect for the prison system, and cases of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment. 

She asserted that the implementation of the death penalty is very worrying, especially in 2019.

The Italian Deputy Foreign Minister also revealed that on the sidelines of her recent trip to Bahrain, she encouraged local authorities to move forward in this direction, calling on EU embassies and member states to pressure Bahrain.

"A regular dialogue was built between European embassies and Bahraini institutions. The Italian embassy in Manama was part of this process," the letter said, adding, "Accordingly and thanks to the encouragement of the Italian authorities, some specific mechanisms have been put in place to promote a more structured coordination with Bahraini counterparts."

According to the letter this is a useful tool not only for monitoring the human rights situation, but also for encouraging Bahrain to ensure the proper functioning of democratic institutions, respect for the rule of law, principles of good governance, the independence of judiciary and the protection of freedom of association and expression and the freedom of human rights defenders to demonstrate peacefully.

Marina Sereni confirmed that she ensures that Italy will continue to pay great attention to the human rights situation in Bahrain, specifically concerning the death penalty, encouraging the country to enact a moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolition. She stressed that this is a priority for the Italian strategy and foreign policy. "We will reinforce our efforts in the coming months when the ninth resolution on a global moratorium on the death penalty is proposed to the United Nations General Assembly next fall," she added.

The Italian authorities expressed deep concern over the human rights violations conducted by the Bahraini government, indicating their intention to raise the issue in the European Union, stressing that this is of prime importance to Italy. 

Arabic Version