Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect (a) women, (b) religious minorities and (c) other vulnerable groups in (i) Iraq and (ii) Syria.
Answered by David Rutley
We are committed to the safety and security of all civilians, including vulnerable groups in Iraq and Syria. The UK led the UN Security Council to establish the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD). We also advocated for the passing of the Iraqi Yazidi Survivors Law. The UK provides specialised protection services, including for survivors of Gender Based Violence, psycho-social support and sexual and reproductive health services.
Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a longstanding priority for the UK and we are firmly committed to the protection of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on freedom of religion and belief in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is a proud member of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, which is currently chaired by the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Fiona Bruce MP. In July 2022, we hosted the International Ministerial Conference on FoRB in London, during which a number of priority issues were discussed including the situation of religious minorities in Iran. Iran has a record of discrimination, harassment and targeting of minority religious and ethnic communities. We raise these issues at all appropriate opportunities with Iran and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its dire human rights record.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the treatment of women in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley
This Government is committed to supporting the fundamental rights of women in Iran by ensuring the Iranian regime is held to account. We do this in part through our sanctions designations: HMG has announced eight rounds of Iran human rights sanctions since October 2022. We also work closely with our international partners in multilateral fora, for example we removed Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2022. We raise human rights directly with the Iranian authorities at all appropriate opportunities, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to support a lasting ceasefire in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO is pursuing all diplomatic avenues to end the violence in Sudan and de-escalate tensions. We welcome the 7-day ceasefire agreement signed by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces on 20 May, following the 11 May Jeddah Declaration which committed the parties to International Humanitarian Law, protecting civilians and to facilitate humanitarian action, including access. We call on both parties to uphold these agreements, implement the ceasefire and allow essential humanitarian support to reach the people of Sudan. We will continue to support international efforts to secure a ceasefire of hostilities, unhindered humanitarian access and the protection of civilians. This includes through our position as a Permanent Member at the United Nations, through engagement with the conflicting parties and cooperation with counterparts from African, Quad (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UK and US) and European countries. We are also engaging with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of Syrian refugees who have yet to return to Syria.
Answered by David Rutley
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, provides authoritative assessments on displacement. It estimates there are over 6.6 million Syrian refugees worldwide, of which 5.5 million are hosted in countries near Syria, notably Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
The UK is grateful for the role refugee-hosting countries play. We will continue to provide support to displaced population, including in response to the 6 February earthquake, which has affected Syrians in both Turkey and Syria itself. We urge the Asad regime to engage meaningfully with the UN-facilitated political process in order to achieve conditions suitable for safe refugee returns.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 Department's policies of the re-imprisonment of Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK unequivocally condemns the persecution of religious minorities in Iran. Reports of increased detentions, expropriation of land and destruction of homes indicate the regime redoubled its repression of the Baha'i community in 2022. On 20 December 2022, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Fiona Bruce, expressed the UK's condemnation of the sentencing of Baha'i leaders Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi to a further decade of imprisonment. In 2023, we continue to work closely with our international partners to hold Iran to account for its dire human rights record, and to raise these issues with the regime at all appropriate opportunities.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 of his Department's policies of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom report entitled Religious Freedom amid Iraq’s Political Crisis, published on 3 January 2023, in particular on the anti-Sunni Muslim sentiment in Iraq referenced in that report.
Answered by David Rutley
We note the findings of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom report. The UK urged all political parties to act on the 2021 election results and swiftly form a government that would deliver a stable and representative Iraqi government that can build inclusive and effective governance, stability and security for all Iraqi citizens, including Sunni communities.
Promotion of the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is a longstanding human rights priority for the UK and we are firmly committed to protecting ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq. The embassy in Baghdad and Consulate General in Erbil regularly meets with Faith Leaders and we continue to lobby the government of Iraq to implement the Yazidi Survivors Law in full and improve the conditions for all religious minority communities throughout Iraq.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 Department's policies of the planned closure of some BBC World Service Persian services, in the context of protests in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley
The FCDO strongly values the BBC World Service's role in bringing high-quality and impartial broadcasting to audiences in need. The FCDO funds 12 language services through the World2020 programme; the remaining services, including BBC Persian, are funded by the Licence Fee. The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from Government and therefore decisions about service delivery are for them to take.
Under BBC proposals, whilst BBC Persian radio will cease, TV broadcasting will continue and investment in digital services will increase, reflecting audience trends - according to the BBC, only 1% of their Iranian audience use BBC Persian radio.
The UK is a fierce champion of media freedom and proud member of the Media Freedom Coalition. We regularly raise the issue of the Iranian peoples' right to access independent media, including BBC Persian with the Iranian government and in multilateral fora.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international counterparts to help locate over 2,700 missing Yazidi women and children.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK advocated strongly for the passing of the Yazidi Survivors' Law in March 2021 and the establishment of the Directorate of Yazidi Affairs. The Directorate is responsible for searching for survivors and supporting judicial and investigative bodies on holding perpetrators to account. We have also provided £2 million to the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD). The UK joined likeminded partners in committing to support Yazidis displaced or abducted by Daesh in a Joint alliance statement issued in October 2021. We continue to press the Government of Iraq on the importance of these issues, including searching for those missing Yazidi women and children abducted by Daesh.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote lasting peace in Syria.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK uses its UN Security Council role to advance the UN-facilitated political process in line with UNSCR 2254. We support the work of UN Special Envoy to this effect, and are working with him to develop his 'step for step' approach to making progress. The Assad regime and its backers remain intransigent; we urge them to engage in good faith.
Lasting peace requires accountability. We pursue this through sanctions; raising awareness of crimes committed in Syria; and support for evidence-gathering, including through the UN Commission of Inquiry; the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria; and UK programme partners.