Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the urgent appeal submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture on 12 September by the international legal team for British citizen Jimmy Lai; and what action they are taking to secure his release.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture with respect to British national Jimmy Lai and are deeply concerned by the allegations of torture and mistreatment it makes. The Foreign Secretary raised Jimmy Lai's case in his first meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Summit on 26 July and his case remains a priority for this Government. We will continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release Jimmy Lai and we will continue to press for consular access.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the proposed amendment to Iraq’s Personal Status Law 188, which could lower the legal age for marriage to nine, and the extent to which it aligns with international treaties on the rights of children to which Iraq is a signatory.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is analysing the proposed amendments to Iraq's Personal Status Law and its implications for women and children's rights. As we privately engage with a range of Iraqi interlocutors to discuss this, we are emphasising the importance of any amendments' compatibility with Iraq's international obligations.
We would condemn any legislative change that would violate international norms, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report, Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights, by the United Nations Secretary-General, published on 20 August, including the concerns it raises about reprisals against British citizen Jimmy Lai, his son, Sebastien Lai, and members of their international legal team.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are carefully reviewing the UN's report on 'Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights' and will respond to the report during the current session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Any attempts to coerce, intimidate or harm those who cooperate with the United Nations are unacceptable. The UK unequivocally condemns each and every act of intimidation or reprisal.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what account was taken of the recent hack of the Electoral Commission and the alleged hack of the Ministry of Defence by China, and its aggressive military action in the South China Sea, before authorising the attendance of the UK’s Air Vice-Marshall at a recent reception at the Chinese Embassy to celebrate the 97th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government is taking a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests, by co-operating where we can as fellow permanent members of the UN Security Council. But we will also compete where we have different interests and challenge where we must, to protect our national security and values.
The bilateral defence relationship with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) plays an important role in this, including recent senior military attendance at the PLA Anniversary Reception in London, where UK attendance was agreed in June 2024.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential implications for the UK’s relationship with China of (1) the detention of Uyghur children in boarding schools in Xinjiang, and (2) the alleged cultural genocide perpetrated by the government of China through the forced assimilation of Uyghur and Kazakh children; and what diplomatic actions are being taken to address these concerns.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests.
We stand firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. We raise our concerns at the highest levels of the Chinese government. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary both raised human rights in their recent introductory discussions with President Xi and Foreign Minister Wang.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Switzerland following recent allegations of an antisemitic attack on a British Orthodox Jew in Davos; and what diplomatic steps they are taking to help protect British nationals from antisemitic violence abroad and ensure their safety in such incidents.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have not, to date, been approached for consular assistance by the victim of the attack in Davos on the night of Friday 23 August. However, the British Embassy in Berne has been engaging with stakeholders on antisemitism, in line with the work of the UK's chair of International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Our Embassy continues to have significant engagement planned throughout the coming months, including with the Swiss Government and Civil Society. Antisemitism has absolutely no place in any society, which is why we are taking a lead in tackling it in all its forms. Consular staff stand ready to support British nationals overseas at all times.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia; and what steps they are taking to avert further armed conflict in the region.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia remain heightened, with a risk of further escalation. This is having a destabilising effect on the wider region. We are following developments closely and continue, alongside our international partners, to urge all parties in the region to avoid escalation and any action that threatens stability in the Horn of Africa. In August, the Foreign Secretary and Minister Dodds both separately raised this issue with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Taye, and I discussed it with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to government of Iraq in relation to the spike in hate speech against the Yazidi, following the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide; and how they are assisting Iraq in addressing the issue.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK remains committed to supporting the Yazidi community. The UK regularly engages with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government on the promotion of the right to freedom of religion and belief, including for the Yazidi community.
We are closely monitoring the situation currently facing Yazidis. We currently provide support to Yazidi survivors through a Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative delivered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which funds capacity building support to the Government of Iraq to support to the implementation of the Yazidi Survivors Law passed in 2021. We continue to advocate for implementation of the Law, which is crucial in securing justice for survivors and rebuilding their lives.
We have also supported Iraq to develop capacity for Daesh accountability through the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD), and international efforts to deliver justice will continue.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support independent investigations and documentation efforts, including those conducted by Korea Future and other human rights organisations, to uncover human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, particularly during the period when the British Embassy in Pyongyang has been inaccessible to UK diplomats.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly calls on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) government, through multilateral and bilateral channels, to address its appalling human rights record and acknowledge the many reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations in the country, and to uphold its human rights obligations. We have encouraged the DPRK to take early measures to reopen its borders to allow officials from international human rights organisations and humanitarian NGOs to enter the country. We closely monitor reports of human rights violations with our international partners and international human rights NGOs organisations. We highly value the efforts civil society organisations take to investigate and document these human rights abuses.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/ISIL as it comes to the end of its mandate; and what arrangements have been agreed in relation to the evidence it has collected so far, in particular (1) where and how it will be stored, (2) how it will be used, and (3) what will happen to the evidence which has not been processed yet.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK played a leading role in UNITAD's establishment. UNITAD has collated and processed considerable evidence of Daesh atrocities since its establishment in 2017. It has contributed significantly to addressing the legacy of Daesh in Iraq, including the generation of high-quality evidence which has supported trials in third countries, and capacity building of the Iraqi judicial system. The UK will continue to work with Iraq and international partners to ensure that Daesh are held accountable for the crimes they have committed following the UNITAD's closure, and that international efforts to support survivor and minority communities continue.