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.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when a government minister last visited Belize, and whether they discussed the treatment of homosexuals with representatives of the government of Belize during that visit.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), visited Belize in November 2012; and the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for International Security Strategy at the Ministry of Defence, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), visited Belize in March 2013. Our High Commissioner in Belmopan regularly raises human rights and the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people with representatives of the Belizean government.
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 possible link between the spread of HIV/AIDS in Belize and the criminalisation of homosexuality in that country.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our focus in Belize has been on working to uphold the rights and freedoms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in all circumstances. More generally, we believe that access to treatment for human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) should be without discrimination, and that discriminatory laws that impede access to treatment should be addressed. This is true in Belize as elsewhere.
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 with the government of Belize about the treatment of homosexual men and women in that country.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We regularly raise the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people with the Government of Belize. On 4 February 2015, our High Commissioner in Belmopan met with the Belizean Foreign Minister, the Honourable Wilfred Elrington, to discuss human rights and the treatment of homosexual men and women. The UK also raised LGBTI rights at Belize’s last Universal Periodic Review at the UN in 2013.
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 Morocco about its treatment of homosexual men and women.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We regularly discuss human rights issues with the Moroccan authorities. Our Ambassador in Morocco most recently raised lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights with the Moroccan Foreign Minister in early October 2014.