Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have had with the government of Iran on the rights of women in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We regularly raise human rights with the Iranian authorities at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record, including the rights of women who continue to face widespread discrimination. Iran has also been identified as a Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly calls on Iran to uphold its international human rights obligations. At the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, I reiterated the message that the promotion and protection of human rights remains a priority for the British Government for 2020 and beyond.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of harassment experienced by BBC personnel in Iran; and what action they are taking in response.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We condemn the judicial persecution of family members of employees and ex-employees of BBC Persian, and are deeply concerned by the reports of any threats against journalists in the UK. The British Government is committed to the promotion of media freedom, which is vital to functioning societies, and the principle that journalists must be able to investigate and report as they see fit. We regularly raise human rights with the Iranian authorities at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues including restrictions on media freedom. On 29 January, the UK alongside Canada co-hosted the first official meeting of the Media Freedom Coalition in Geneva, a partnership of 35 countries working together to advocate the safety of journalists worldwide and to defend media freedom.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of escalating violence and human rights abuses towards Anglophone communities in Cameroon; and what steps they are taking to prevent any continued violence or abuse.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The British Government remains deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon. These regions suffer from high levels of violence, which have driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. We have consistently called for an end to the violence and investigations into all reports of human rights violations and abuses. We continue to maintain a spotlight on the crisis and raise our concerns at the highest levels, including with the Government of Cameroon, at the United Nations (UN) and with international partners. The Government of Cameroon convened a National Dialogue in October 2019, and legislation concerning bilingualism and special status for the North-West and South-West regions was passed in December. These are welcome initial steps forward. Commitments and legislation now need to be implemented in a timely manner to support genuine decentralisation of power and to tackle the root causes of the crisis.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to (1) President Biya, and (2) the government of Cameroon, about that government's participation in the talks on the future of Cameroon proposed by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
During a visit to Cameroon in September 2019 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Permanent Under-Secretary urged the Government of Cameroon to undertake a national dialogue that was comprehensive and inclusive, and could deliver a lasting peace in the Anglophone regions. At a UN Security Council briefing session on 6 December 2019, the UK welcomed the National Dialogue called by the government, bringing parties together in early October. It is imperative that the Government of Cameroon continues to engage in inclusive discussions and helps deliver all the recommendations made from October’s dialogue.
We welcome the Swiss Government and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue mediation efforts between parties in Cameroon. We urge the Government of Cameroon to remain engaged in this process. The British High Commissioner to Cameroon regularly engages in high-level discussions with the Government of Cameroon on the Anglophone crisis, including the mediation process led by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. The UK stands ready to support all credible peacebuilding initiatives.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statistics collected by Military Court Watch from the testimonies of Palestinian children who were detained by the Israeli military in the West Bank in 2019, published in May, and its findings that (1) 52 per cent were arrested at night, (2) 95 per cent were hand-tied, often painfully, (3) 91 per cent were blindfolded in contravention of the recommendations of Unicef, (4) 69 per cent experienced some form of physical abuse such as slapping, kicking and punching, (5) 67 per cent experienced threats, and (6) 74 per cent reported being denied access to a lawyer prior to questioning; and what representations they intend to make to the government of Israel about those testimonies.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are extremely concerned about the treatment of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons. Reports of the heavy use of painful restraints and the high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations, are particularly concerning. We continue to make representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue and we remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding Palestinian children in detention in Israel.
Asked by: Lord Judd (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 Egypt about the imprisonment and treatment of former President Morsi before his death in court; and what is their current assessment of the state of human rights in Egypt.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We have been following recent developments in Egypt carefully and have been receiving regular updates. We await the results of the independent forensic report ordered by the Egyptian Prosecutor General into the causes and circumstances of former President Morsi's death.
Egypt is a human rights priority country for the UK, and we monitor the situation closely. We continue to voice our concerns, including in our recent statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 12 March and in our Human Rights Report, released on 5 June. In particular, prison conditions are one of our three human rights priorities in Egypt. We raise access to medical care and solitary confinement regularly with the Egyptian Government.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority is annexing land in the Palestinian Bab Al-Rahma cemetery and is digging up Palestinian graves in preparation for building a national park; and what representations they have made to the government of Israel about this.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Whilst we have not made any assessment and have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we continue to encourage all parties to work together to uphold the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem, including Bab Al-Rahma.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to review and strengthen the effectiveness of conflict resolution policies of the UK to address persistent and accelerating conflict, and flashpoints, particularly in (1) Myanmar, (2) Sri Lanka, and (3) Southern Philippines; and what steps they are taking with partners in the Commonwealth, the EU, and the UN to review equivalent policies.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government’s actions in respect of addressing conflict and unrest in the regions listed include:
Maintaining our provision of practical support to the Myanmar Peace Process, delivered through the multi-donor Joint Peace Fund (JPF), as well as technical advice and expertise. The UK is an active member of the JPF Governance Board which includes 11 other donors including the EU, Australia and Canada. We have played a pivotal role in maintaining high level UN attention to the ongoing conflict in Myanmar.
Playing a leading role, together with Core Group members Canada, Germany, Macedonia and Montenegro, in achieving a new Resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in March. This continues Sri Lanka’s reconciliation and accountability commitments following the end of the civil war. We firmly believe that this is the best framework for establishing truth and achieving justice and lasting reconciliation. We will continue to refine our approach towards addressing conflict in Sri Lanka, working closely with local stakeholders and international partners including those in the Commonwealth, EU and UN.
We are spending £8.3m of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) funding on interfaith dialogue, reconciliation, police reform and training, and demining in Sri Lanka. The CSSF is a cross government fund, which supports and delivers activity to tackle instability and to prevent conflicts which threaten UK interests. We regularly review and adapt our CSSF programmes to ensure they effectively contribute to post-conflict reconciliation.
As a founding member of the International Contact Group, a hybrid mediation support initiative supporting the peace process in Southern Philippines, the UK took active interest in the January 2019 plebiscite, which paves the way for an autonomous region for Muslim Mindanao. UK development assistance to the reconstruction in Mindanao is through multilateral partners such as the World Bank and Asia Development Bank.