Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in addition to humanitarian assistance, to prevent atrocities in Sudan.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

Further to my statement on Sudan on 19 November, and my remarks in the House of Lords debate on 27 November, the Government took direct action on 12 December to sanction senior commanders of the Rapid Support Forces suspected of involvement in the atrocities committed in El Fasher, Sudan, including mass killings, systematic sexual violence and deliberate attacks on civilians. This sends a clear message that those who commit and orchestrate these crimes will be held to account, and reflects our determination to prevent and deter further atrocities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address gender apartheid and gender persecution in Afghanistan; what steps they are taking to support Afghan women and girls in the country; and what assessment they have made of how this assistance is affected by any cuts to UK overseas development assistance.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 21 October in response to Question 81211, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:

The Government condemns the Taliban's appalling repression of Afghan women and girls. Officials regularly engage with the Taliban on UK Government priorities, including human rights. The Government is working with international partners to maintain collective pressure on the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions.

The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries as a matter of principle, and in all circumstances, including through UN and Human Rights Council resolutions.

In October, the UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls and the UK Special Envoy to Afghanistan met Afghan women leaders. Upholding the human rights of all Afghans is not only a moral imperative, but essential for building a stable, inclusive, and prosperous country.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of ratifying the Ljubljana-Hague convention; and what steps they are taking to ensure that they can cooperate with other states on mutual legal assistance in relation to investigating and prosecuting international crimes.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The UK is firmly committed to the rule of law and ending impunity for the most serious international crimes. It is of fundamental importance that issues of domestic and international accountability continue to be discussed seriously and collaboratively by the international community.

The UK already has well-established legal frameworks to facilitate international co-operation on the investigation and prosecution of international crimes and we are committed to continuing to work with international partners to this end. The UK was an active participant at the Ljubljana-Hague Convention negotiations in 2023, where we made it clear that we needed further time to review the Convention text, including to consider how ratification might impact on the UK's cooperation in this area. To date, only one country has ratified the Convention.