Written question – Bahrain’s arbitrary detention of EU citizen Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and the consequences for relations with the EU and for regular prison visits by the EU Ambassador to Bahrain – E-004105/2025

Question for written answer  E-004105/2025
to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Rule 144
Per Clausen (The Left)

In a letter sent from Jau prison in Bahrain, dated 16 October, Danish citizen and political prisoner Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja wrote to the Commission President, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), and the Special Representative for Human Rights. In the letter he asked whether the EU considered him to be a human rights defender, an EU-citizen, and whether it agreed with the UN that his detention was arbitrary.

In the letter, he also asked if the EU should consequently demand his release.

• 1.Could the VP/HR please confirm that as long as Bahrain continues to detain EU citizens arbitrarily as political prisoners, such as in the case of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, thereby clearly violating human rights, there will be no progress made on visa waivers, strategic partnerships, trade or similar negotiations?
• 2.Will the EU Ambassador to Bahrain be instructed to regularly visit Mr Al-Khawaja in jail, to monitor his situation and, if necessary, criticise the Bahraini authorities?
• 3.Does the EU consider Mr Al-Khawaja to be both a human rights defender and an EU-citizen, does it agree with the UN opinion of 2012[1] clearly describing the detention of Mr Al-Khawaja as arbitrary, and will it demand his release?

Submitted: 17.10.2025

• [1] https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/WGAD/2012/6