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Written Question
Manahel al-Otaibi
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on (a) the prosecution of Manahel al-Otaibi in the Specialised Criminal Court and (b) reports (i) relating to her treatment while in detention and (ii) that she has not been allowed contact with her family since November 2023.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We have raised the continued detention of individuals for expressing their political views, including women and women's rights defenders, with the Saudi government. The FCDO is closely monitoring the case of Manahel al-Otaibi. Saudi Arabia remains an FCDO human rights priority country, in part due to continued restrictions on freedom of expression. The British Embassy in Riyadh will continue to attempt to attend trials where possible.


Written Question
Saudi Arabia: Human Rights
Wednesday 28th February 2024

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to his Saudi counterpart to support the implementation of his Department's recommendations at Saudi Arabia’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Saudi Arabia remains an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country. The Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, regularly discusses human rights with the Saudi authorities, including the Saudi Vice Foreign Minister and the Saudi Ambassador in London. The UK submitted three recommendations at Saudi Arabia's recent Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Lord Ahmad has made representations to the Saudi Authorities regarding all UK recommendations both prior to and following the UPR, including with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, Dr Hala Al-Tuwaijri, on 31 January. We will continue to engage with the Saudi authorities, particularly the Human Rights Commission, about the implementation of our recommendations.


Written Question
Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment
Wednesday 28th February 2024

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications of his policies of the (a) number of executions, (b) reported increase in the number of women executed, (c) execution of people who were juveniles at the time of their alleged crimes and (d) offences which resulted in the imposition of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia in 2023.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. The UK raises the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia through a variety of interlocutors. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, continues to regularly raise the death penalty with the Saudi authorities, particularly where there are allegations regarding people who may have been juveniles at the time of their alleged crimes. Additionally, in January, the UK also recommended the total abolishment of the juvenile death penalty in Saudi Arabia at the UN Human Rights Council.


Written Question
Saudi Arabia: Human Rights
Wednesday 28th February 2024

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made representations to his Saudi counterpart on the use of (a) judicial and (b) non-judicial travel bans on (i) prisoners of conscience released from prison and (ii) family members of peaceful activists in that country.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We raise human rights with the Saudi authorities at all levels, including ministerial channels. The UK highlighted concern about the use of travel bans in the most recent Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. We continue to monitor individual cases, including those pertaining to freedom of expression, and will continue to raise concerns with the Saudi authorities.


Written Question
Defence
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13286 on Defence, if he will publish a list of the non-NATO countries with which the UK has (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral (i) agreements and (ii) arrangements to consult in the event of attack.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

Various bilateral and multilateral agreements and arrangements commit the UK to consulting with non-NATO countries in relation to international security matters. The precise language that triggers any consultation under these arrangements varies. The Five Power Defence Arrangements (1971) with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore; the UK-Sweden Security Agreement (2022); and the UK-Ukraine Security Agreement (2024) all include reference to consultation in the event of attack.

Separate agreements with Australia (2013), Japan (2023), and the Republic of Korea (2023) refer to consultation on 'threats to international peace and security' (Australia) and 'important regional and global security issues' (Japan and Republic of Korea) respectively.


Written Question
Defence
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which non-NATO countries the UK has a commitment to defend against external aggression under (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral agreements.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK has a legal commitment to defend NATO countries against external aggression. There are a number of non-NATO countries with which the UK has bilateral and multilateral agreements and arrangements to consult in the event of attack. In addition, the UN Charter Chapter 7 sets out the inherent right of collective self-defence.


Written Question
Israel: Palestinians
Friday 12th January 2024

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on allegations that Israeli forces delayed a UN convoy that was evacuating patients from Al Ahli hospital on 9 December 2023.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The UK is clear that the wounded and critically ill in Gaza should be able to access the urgent medical care they need, that the safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. We also want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary continue to make this clear in engagements with their Israeli counterparts. The UK is focussed on alleviating the desperate humanitarian situation and the UK played a leading role in securing the passage of Security Council Resolution 2720, which underlined the urgent demand for expanded humanitarian access.


Written Question
Gaza: Israel
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on allegations that Israeli forces detained six staff working with the Ministry of Health and Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza on 22 November 2023.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

It is the longstanding policy of successive UK Governments that we do not comment on individual cases; however, we are concerned over reports about Israeli detention practices. The Government is clear that administrative detention should be used only where it is justified in accordance with international law. Those under detention should either be charged or released. The UK is committed to working with Israel to secure improvements in its detention practices and repeatedly calls on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law. This has been repeatedly raised by both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.


Written Question
Israel: Sanctions
Monday 8th January 2024

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will apply Magnitsky-style sanctions to Israel’s (a) Minister of National Security and (b) Finance Minister in the context of settler violence in the West Bank.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

Tensions in the West Bank must ease and we continue to urge Israel to address extremist settler violence. This includes preventing such acts of violence, and holding those responsible to account. The Foreign Secretary has announced that we will ban those responsible for settler violence from entering the UK. We keep our sanctions under review and reserve the right to introduce further measures.


Written Question
Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment
Wednesday 29th November 2023

Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make public representations to his Saudi counterpart on revoking death sentences passed on minors.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Saudi Arabia is well aware of the UK's opposition to the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. We regularly raise concerns about its use and Saudi Arabia is an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country, in part because of the continued use of the death penalty. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon regularly discusses a wide range of human rights issues with the Saudi authorities, most recently during the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission's visit to the UK in September 2023. We monitor and raise all known juvenile death penalty defendant cases with the Saudi authorities, and discuss outstanding questions regarding the application of the Royal Decree of 2020. We will continue to do so.