Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives following that organisation's declaration against conversion therapy of December 2020.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government funded the Global Interfaith Commission's (GiC) launch on 16 December where it delivered a declaration calling for an end to violence and criminalisation against LGBT+ people and for a global ban on conversion therapy. We remain in regular dialogue with the Director of the GiC.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of India about (1) the allegations of torture and mistreatment, and (2) the right to a fair trial, of Jagtar Singh Johal; and what response they have received to any such representations.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly make representations on Mr Johal's case to the Government of India highlighting his right to a fair trial, and calling for an independent investigation into his allegations of torture. During his visit to India in December 2020, the Foreign Secretary raised Mr Johal's case with his opposite number, the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. I last raised Mr Johal's case with the Indian High Commissioner in London on 28 January 2021, and with the Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, on 3 November 2020.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Egypt about the murder of Giulio Regeni in Cairo in 2016.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have the deepest sympathy for Giulio Regeni's family and their quest for justice for his appalling murder. As Mr Regeni was an Italian citizen, the Italian Government is taking the lead role on his case. We continue to follow the investigation into his death and to work closely with the Italian Government. We last discussed this at an official level with the Italian authorities on 23 November. We have also raised with the Egyptian authorities at a senior level the need for a transparent and impartial investigation, in full co-operation with Italy, so that Mr Regeni's killers can be brought to justice.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Malta about the progress of the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in October 2017.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister for Europe and the Americas discussed the case with the Maltese Foreign Minister, Carmelo Abela during a meeting in London in April. The matter was raised again by the Home Secretary with the Maltese Interior Minister, Michael Farrugia this month. The police investigation has made three arrests so far and continues to explore a number of lines of enquiry. Our High Commissioner and his team in Valletta remain in close contact with the Maltese authorities and stand ready to consider any request for assistance.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any representations about the content of a video published by the British Embassy in Ljubljana in February to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Slovenia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister of State for Europe and the Americas received a letter about the video from a former chair of the British-Slovene Society. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office sent a reply on 8 June 2017.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Tanzania concerning their decision to stop HIV prevent programmes for gay men.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The government of Tanzania has not said it is stopping HIV programmes for gay men. Ummy Mwalimu, the Tanzanian Minister of Health issued a statement on 26 October saying that all Tanzanians who need HIV services, including those who are gay, have access to HIV services. However, she also said outreach and drop in services for gay men are being reviewed. We will monitor future developments closely.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean of the recent ruling from the Supreme Court in Belize that a law that criminalised homosexuality was unconstitutional.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Tolerance, respect, equality and non-discrimination are all important UK values. I therefore welcome the recent ruling from the Supreme Court in Belize and hope that, following the appeal made by the Belize Catholic Church, the decision will stand. I also hope countries across the Caribbean and the wider Commonwealth which continue to criminalise private consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex will consider this judgment carefully and be encouraged to make similar updates to their own legislation.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Uganda about its treatment of Uganda’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are in regular dialogue with the Ugandan Government and Parliament on this issue and will continue to raise our concerns about any legislation which could lead to further persecution and discrimination against LGBT people and which is incompatible with Uganda’s international treaty obligations. After the events of Uganda Pride in August, we raised our concerns with the Ugandan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and worked with leading figures in the local LGBT Community and Ugandan Police Force. We remain committed to working with the government of Uganda and with civil society to promote diversity and tolerance, and to prevent violence and discrimination on any grounds.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Slovenia about the case of Bostjan Bozic and the issues it raises under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of the case of Slovenian photo journalist Jani Bozic who was given a five month suspended prison sentence by a Slovenian court in March 2015 for invasion of privacy of then Slovenian Prime Minister Bratusek. In all cases, we would expect the Slovenian government to meet its international obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any assessment of the impact of the criminalisation of homosexuality by Commonwealth countries on economic development and business investment in those countries.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have not carried out a specific assessment of the impact of the criminalisation of homosexuality on economic development and business investment in Commonwealth countries. However, we welcomed the reports of the Williams Institute of November 2014 and the recent report from the Human Dignity Trust of November 2015 which clearly set out the economic case for the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
We are committed to combating discrimination and violence against Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGB&T) throughout the Commonwealth. We utilised every opportunity at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to highlight our belief that the Commonwealth must stand up for human rights, including LGB&T rights, around the world. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), made this clear during an intervention at the retreat and subsequently in his press statement. Additionally, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Development, the noble Baroness Verma, also spoke in favour of addressing LGB&T issues while chairing a session at the People’s Forum. We look forward to working with the new Commonwealth Secretary-General on this issue when she takes up her position in April 2016.