Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights implications of the exclusion of Baháʼí students from universities in Iran as a consequence of policies set by the Iranian Education Monitoring and Evaluation Organization; and what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Iran in relation to such exclusions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.
The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted. We have repeatedly raised these persistent human rights violations with Iran. On 9 March, at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK called on Iran to end the discrimination and persecution of religious minorities, particularly towards the Baha'i and Christian converts. The education ministry's reported policies are another example of this discrimination. All religious or ethnic minorities should be allowed to participate fully in society and, together with the international community, we have pressed Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues. We call on President Raisi to set Iran on a different course and commit to improving human rights in Iran, including for all religious minorities.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 9 June (HL981), what plans they have to propose amendments to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court to include the crime of ecocide by amending preambular paragraph 2 and article 8 of the Rome Statute, as proposed by the Stop Ecocide Foundation in their document Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide, published on 22 June.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Ecocide is not a crime recognised under existing international law and there is currently no consensus on its legal definition. Its removal from the drafting process of the Rome Statute was significant in gaining agreement on the crimes included within the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction.
The Rome Statute already provides for some protections to the natural environment in armed conflict, designating intentional attacks that knowingly and excessively cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment as a war crime.
The UK's priority is to reform and strengthen the Court to function efficiently and effectively and deliver successful prosecutions. This is a major State-Party driven process where the involvement of States Parties is fundamental to success. A significant amendment such as this is unlikely to achieve the support of the 82 States necessary to pass the amendment.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to progress the proposed Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The United Kingdom supported the International Law Commission's work on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity and would welcome a convention. We will continue to seek consensus within the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee for a concrete timetable for negotiations.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the addition of the crime of ecocide to the treaty governing the International Criminal Court.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The International Criminal Court can play an important role in global efforts to end impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern, by holding perpetrators to account and achieving justice for victims. However, there are currently no plans to amend the Rome Statute to include ecocide.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the United Arab Emirates regarding the imprisonment of Albert Douglas.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Whilst the FCDO cannot interfere in the legal processes of another country, officials have been in contact with the UAE authorities to raise concerns for Mr Douglas' health and welfare, and to ensure his access to medical treatment. Consular staff are in contact with Mr Douglas and are providing him with ongoing support.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to secure the future of the military base on Diego Garcia by negotiating a settlement of the sovereignty dispute with the government of Mauritius.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
There are no current plans for negotiations with the Government of Mauritius on the future of BIOT. We remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on matters of shared interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the China Tribunal Judgment, published on 17 June 2019, on the government of China’s organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners; and what action they intend to take regarding the government of China’s treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We remain concerned by all restrictions placed on freedom of religion or belief in China, including on practitioners of Falun Gong. We continue to monitor the issue of alleged organ harvesting closely and consider carefully all evidence presented to us. As we have previously stated, if the allegations of systematic, state sponsored organ harvesting are true they would constitute very grave violations of human rights.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 February (HL12876) and the judgment by the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on 28 January concerning the delimitation of a maritime boundary between the Exclusive Economic Zones of Mauritius and Maldives in the vicinity of the Chagos Archipelago, what assessment they have made of whether the UK and the Republic of the Maldives are also entitled to agree a delimitation of a maritime boundary between the UK (in respect of its claim to the British Indian Ocean Territory) and the Republic of the Maldives.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The judgment by the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) was in relation to the delimitation of a maritime boundary claimed by Mauritius to exist between Mauritius and the Republic of Maldives in the Indian Ocean. The UK was not a party to those proceedings, which can have no effect for the UK or for maritime delimitation between the UK (in respect of the British Indian Ocean Territory) and Maldives.