Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what projects their diplomatic missions have funded for the Universal Rights Group non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland; and how much funding has been approved.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HM Government have provided funding to the Universal Rights Group for a number of projects:
No funding has been provided to Universal Rights Group in the last 2 years.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of who is responsible for the rocket attacks in Erbil on 15 February.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government of Iraq (GoI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are urgently investigating circumstances around the rocket attacks in the vicinity of Erbil Airport on 15 February. Although publicly claimed by a militia group called Awliya al-Dam (Guardians of the Blood), investigations are still ongoing. The UK has committed along with the US, France, Germany, and Italy to support the GoI's and KRG's efforts, with a view to holding accountable those responsible.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many staff Parliament has employed to deal with social media companies in respect of abuse or threats directed at Members of Parliament in each of the last five years.
Answered by Tom Brake
Prior to June 2017 no staff were directly employed to deal with social media companies in respect of abuse or threats directed at Members of Parliament.
From June 2017 to May 2019, one member of staff was directly employed in this line of work.
From June 2019 to date, two members of staff have been directly employed in this line of work.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has been notified of any meetings between any members of the Privy Council and Hamas or Hezbollah.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not been notified of any meetings between members of the Privy Council and Hamas or Hezbollah.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on meetings between members of the Privy Council and (a) Hamas and (b) Hezbollah.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold any information on any meetings between any members of the Privy Council and Hamas and Hezbollah.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to tackle the Bahraini Government's treatment of political prisoners.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The British Government monitors events in Bahrain closely. Where we have concerns on specific issues, including prison conditions, we raise these with the Bahraini authorities. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the Bahraini Government’s treatment of political prisoners.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The British Government monitors events in Bahrain closely. Where we have concerns on specific issues, including prison conditions, we raise these with the Bahraini authorities. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussion he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the security situation in those Israeli cities within range of rocket and terror attacks.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Goverment regularly discusses the security situation with Israeli officials at all levels. Our commitment to Israel's seucrity is unwavering. We recognise that Israel has the right to ensure its own security, and that its citizens have the right to live without fear of attack. Rocket attacks threaten the daily lives of Israelis indiscriminately and make achieving peace more difficult. The UK continues to support a negotiated agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians which will protect Israeli citizens and ensure their safety. We call on all parties to refrain from violence and commit to a negotiated solution to end the conflict.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he is aware of the response from the Azerbaijani authorities to Afgan Mukhtarli's request to be permitted to attend the funeral of his sister Nurana Mukhtarly and two of her children who died on 31 December 2017.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We have serious concerns about Afghan Mukhtarli's alleged abduction in Georgia. Our Embassy in Tbilisi has raised the circumstances of Mr Mukhtarli's abduction with the Georgian authorities, and we have urged the Georgian Government to conduct an open and transparent investigation into this incident as soon as possible.
We also consider Afghan Mukhtarli's trial and sentencing at the Balakan District Court in Azerbaijan to be politically motivated and part of a pattern of convictions of journalists, political and human rights activists in Azerbaijan. We continue to call on the Government of Azerbaijan to review the case urgently. Our Embassy in Baku will continue to raise Afghan Mukhtarli's case with the Azerbaijani authorities, including any allegations of mistreatment in prison. We are aware of Mr Mukhtarli's request to attend the funerals of family members who died recently in tragic circumstances.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has taken any steps to seek the humane treatment of Afgan Mukhtarli in prison in Azerbaijan; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We have serious concerns about Afghan Mukhtarli's alleged abduction in Georgia. Our Embassy in Tbilisi has raised the circumstances of Mr Mukhtarli's abduction with the Georgian authorities, and we have urged the Georgian Government to conduct an open and transparent investigation into this incident as soon as possible.
We also consider Afghan Mukhtarli's trial and sentencing at the Balakan District Court in Azerbaijan to be politically motivated and part of a pattern of convictions of journalists, political and human rights activists in Azerbaijan. We continue to call on the Government of Azerbaijan to review the case urgently. Our Embassy in Baku will continue to raise Afghan Mukhtarli's case with the Azerbaijani authorities, including any allegations of mistreatment in prison. We are aware of Mr Mukhtarli's request to attend the funerals of family members who died recently in tragic circumstances.