Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held discussions with her counterpart in Bharain on individual cases of death row inmates.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The Government has taken note of the Human Rights Watch report published on 10 October 2022. Ministers and officials continue to reiterate the UK's opposition to use of the death penalty, publicly and privately, with senior members of the Bahraini Government. During a visit to Bahrain in July the former Minister for the Middle East met with senior members of the Bahraini Government and discussed human rights issues, including the death penalty where she restated the UK position. Lord Ahmad also met with Bahrain Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani in July, and again in September during the margins of the UN General Assembly. During the meetings they discussed a number of shared human rights priorities, including specific human rights cases of interest. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear. The Government of Bahrain is fully aware of our position.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Human Rights Watch report entitled The Court is Satisfied with the Confession: Bahrain Death Sentences Follow Torture, Sham Trials published on 10 October 2022, if he will take steps to implement the recommendations in that report.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The Government has taken note of the Human Rights Watch report published on 10 October 2022. Ministers and officials continue to reiterate the UK's opposition to use of the death penalty, publicly and privately, with senior members of the Bahraini Government. During a visit to Bahrain in July the former Minister for the Middle East met with senior members of the Bahraini Government and discussed human rights issues, including the death penalty where she restated the UK position. Lord Ahmad also met with Bahrain Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani in July, and again in September during the margins of the UN General Assembly. During the meetings they discussed a number of shared human rights priorities, including specific human rights cases of interest. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear. The Government of Bahrain is fully aware of our position.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings on human rights violations and the involvement of Bahraini officials in the Human Rights Watch report entitled The Court is Satisfied with the Confession: Bahrain Death Sentences Follow Torture, Sham Trials published on 10 October 2022.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The Government has taken note of the Human Rights Watch report published on 10 October 2022. Ministers and officials continue to reiterate the UK's opposition to use of the death penalty, publicly and privately, with senior members of the Bahraini Government. During a visit to Bahrain in July the former Minister for the Middle East met with senior members of the Bahraini Government and discussed human rights issues, including the death penalty where she restated the UK position. Lord Ahmad also met with Bahrain Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani in July, and again in September during the margins of the UN General Assembly. During the meetings they discussed a number of shared human rights priorities, including specific human rights cases of interest. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear. The Government of Bahrain is fully aware of our position.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has received written assurances from the Government of Bahrain that the death penalty will not be carried out in that country.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The Government has taken note of the Human Rights Watch report published on 10 October 2022. Ministers and officials continue to reiterate the UK's opposition to use of the death penalty, publicly and privately, with senior members of the Bahraini Government. During a visit to Bahrain in July the former Minister for the Middle East met with senior members of the Bahraini Government and discussed human rights issues, including the death penalty where she restated the UK position. Lord Ahmad also met with Bahrain Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani in July, and again in September during the margins of the UN General Assembly. During the meetings they discussed a number of shared human rights priorities, including specific human rights cases of interest. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear. The Government of Bahrain is fully aware of our position.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer on 9 December 2021 to Question 85212 on Palestinians: Health Services, whether her Department has completed its review of the report by Medical Aid for Palestinians entitled Systematic Discrimination and Fragmentation as Key Barriers to Palestinian Health, published on 29 November 2021; and (b) what assessment she has made of the implications of its findings for her policies.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Officials regularly review reports relevant to the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to inform our policy. We are aware of the findings of this report and remain committed to ensuring access to essential healthcare services for all Palestinians. We are a longstanding supporter of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which provides core services, including healthcare to Palestinian refugees in Gaza. The UK Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 9 December 2021 to Question 85214 on Gaza: Demonstrations, what estimate her Department has made of the number of investigations opened by Israeli authorities into the use of live ammunition by Israeli forces against Palestinians during the 2018-19 Gaza protests.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We have not made this estimate. The UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the Israel Defence Forces police non-violent protests and the border areas, including use of live ammunition. We will continue to do so. The UK supports an independent and transparent investigation which establishes the facts about the violence that occurred during the Great March of Return in Gaza. The UK continues to monitor progress of ongoing investigations by the Israeli authorities.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what reports she has received of the (a) number and (b) change in number of Palestinian children held in solitary confinement in Israeli military detention in the most recent period for which information is available; and if she will she seek assurances from the Israeli authorities that they will end the practice.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We do not collect this information. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv has a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the letter to her of 11 November 2021 from ten hon. Members calling on the Government to blacklist the Israeli NSO Group in light of cyberattacks carried out on UK soil against refugees, activists and parliamentarians by Gulf states including Bahrain and the UAE; when she plans to reply to that letter; if she will make her policy to (i) impose a trade sanction on the NSO Group, (ii) suspend the Gulf Strategy Fund pending an independent inquiry into the human rights implications of its programmes, (iii) suspend UK spyware licences and cybersecurity contracts to Bahrain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia pending an independent investigation and (iv) publicly raise concerns with the Governments of Bahrain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia on their role in cyberattacks carried out in the UK using Pegasus software.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The letter of 11 November from the ten honourable members is being reviewed and a response will be sent in due course. It is important that we ensure that commercial cyber tools are used in a legal and responsible way. They should not be used in ways that threaten human rights. The UK is committed to countering the proliferation of high end cyber capabilities, and we will continue to work with international partners to achieve this. Commercial cyber tools should be used in a responsible way.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights titled Ensuring accountability and justice for violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territory, dated 12 June 2017, what diplomatic steps the Government has taken to encourage Israel to enact the 550 recommendations made to it by the Human Rights Council mechanisms between 2009-2018.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is a human rights priority for the FCDO. The UK continues to engage with the Israeli government on human rights issues in the context of the occupation. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinians.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make representations to her Bahraini counterpart for the immediate and unconditional release from prison of Dr Abduljalil AlSingace and Hassan Mushaima.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We continue to monitor and raise the cases of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace, Hassan Mushaima and others as necessary, with the Bahraini Government as well as with the oversight bodies.