Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government provides any funding for (a) Syria Civil Defence’s early warning ‘Sentry’ system and (b) any other system to provide flight observation and early warning of air attacks targeting civilians in Syria; and if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing ongoing funding for that purpose.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is committed to help protect civilians in Syria. As part of that effort, we have supported Syrian Civil Defence (SCD) since 2013, including having provided £650,000 to support SCD Sentry, an early warning system that aims to provide civilians with as much warning as possible prior to an airstrike - every time, day or night. Warnings are currently accessible through multiple online and over-the-air platforms. We will continue to assess ways that we can help protect civilians in Syria from the devastating impact of the Syrian regime and Russian airstrikes.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2018 to Question 128740, on Syria: Armed Conflict, when the Government last raised the issue of Eastern Ghouta (a) at the UN and (b) with Russia; and what response the Government received on each such occasion.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK has raised the issue of Eastern Ghouta at the UN and with Russia on numerous occasions. On 5th March, the Human Rights Council, in Geneva paved a resolution introduced by the UK on the situation in Eastern Ghouta. On 27 February, Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Sir Alan Duncan met Russian Ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, stressing UK concern at the current situation in Syria, particularly the crisis in Eastern Ghouta. He urged Russia to use its influence to ensure the Syrian regime adhered to the ceasefire demanded by UN Security Council Resolution 2401 to allow rapid, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access and non-conditional medical evacuations which are urgently needed.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will make urgent representations to the (a) Government of Russia and (b) UN on reports of the recent escalation in bombardment of civilians in Eastern Ghouta.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK works closely with the UN on all aspects of Syria policy and has discussed the situation on the ground, including the situation in Eastern Ghouta, with UN representatives regularly. We also raise the situation on the ground at every opportunity with Russian interlocutors through our Embassy in Moscow, discussions in the UN Security Council and the International Syria Support Group Task Forces in Geneva. We have raised the the appalling situation in Eastern Ghouta with urgency will continue to call on Russia to use its influence to stop these atrocities.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Government of Nigeria on the Zaria massacre and other human rights abuses; and whether the Government intends to make further representations to that Government on the protection of human rights and the right to peaceful protest.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We have raised our concerns about the incident at Zaria with the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels. The previous Minister for Africa raised the issue with the Governor of Kaduna during his visit to Nigeria in July 2017. We continue to call on the Federal government to respond to the recommendations made by the Commission for Judicial Inquiry, and ensure accountability on all sides.
We welcome President Buhari's commitment to improve the human rights situation in Nigeria, but more needs to be done. We will continue to make clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of upholding human rights standards for all, including the right to peaceful protest.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to (a) attend and (b) make representations at the next meeting of EU Ministers at which the persecution of the Rohingya is scheduled to be discussed.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign Secretary represented the UK at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 16 October, securing agreement to the suspension of all Burmese military visits to the EU and a review of all defence cooperation, and to consider additional measures if the situation in Rakhine does not improve. This followed the Government's own announcement on 19 September that the UK would suspend practical defence co-operation with the Burmese military and visits by senior military officers to the UK.
The Foreign Secretary routinely attends EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings. He is committed to maintaining international attention and ensuring action on the situation of the Rohingya, and so would make representations at future meetings where the situation of the Rohingya is being discussed.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to take steps to help protect those political prisoners detained in Homs Central Prison in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Government is concerned about reports that the Syrian regime has cut off water and electricity to Homs Central prison and is poised to attack it. We have raised these concerns in the International Syria Support Group Ceasefire Task Force meeting in Geneva and have asked both the UN Special Envoy's office and the International Red Cross to use their good offices to ensure the safety of the prisoners.
The Syria resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2017, on which the UK led, called for the appropriate international monitoring bodies to be granted access to all detainees, for all parties to the conflict to cease the mistreatment and torture of detainees and demanded the immediate release of all persons arbitrarily detained.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will request a UN investigation into the 1988 executions of political prisoners in Iran.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The British Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and takes any allegations of extrajudicial killings seriously. Whilst at present we have no plans to request an inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights into the 1988 executions of political prisoners in Iran, we continue to take action with the international community to press for improvements on all human rights issues in Iran, including ending the death penalty and by supporting the work done by the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran. We also raise our concerns directly with the Iranian government and I was able to raise this directly with my Iranian counterpart during my visit to Tehran in August.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations the Government has made to the Government of Iran on the treatment of (a) all political prisoners and (b) political prisoners on hunger strike at Gohardasht Prison.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We continue to take action with the international community to press for improvements on all human rights issues in Iran, including prison conditions. We support the work of the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran. We regularly raise human rights with the Iranian government at all levels. I raised concerns about human rights, including prison conditions, with my Iranian counterpart during my visit to Iran on 5 August.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will request that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights investigates the 1988 executions of political prisoners in Iran.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The British Government opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and takes any allegations of extrajudicial killings seriously. Whilst at present we have no plans to request an inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, we continue to take action with the international community to press for improvements on all human rights issues in Iran, including ending the death penalty and by supporting the work done by the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran. We also raise our concerns directly with the Iranian government and I was able to raise this directly with my Iranian counterpart during my visit to Tehran in August this year.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made or steps he has taken on the imprisonment of Mohammad Ramadan in Bahrain.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain continue to closely monitor the case of Mohammed Ramadan and we have raised concerns about this case both in public and in private at senior levels. We are aware that the Special Investigations Unit is continuing with investigations into complaints of torture in this case. We encourage a swift, transparent conclusion to the investigation.