Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the release of Dr Abu Safiya.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 August to question 68153.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken to secure the release of Jimmy Lai from detention in Hong Kong.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jimmy Lai's case remains a high priority for the Government. We continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release him. The Prime Minister, and Ministers across Government, have urged the Chinese authorities to release Mr Lai. The Government has discussed the case with our international partners; and we welcome President Trump's public commitment to Mr Lai's release.
Diplomats from our Consulate-General in Hong Kong attended Mr Lai's court proceedings throughout. We continue to press for consular access to our citizen.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will ask the International Criminal Court to investigate the Taliban’s actions towards women in Afghanistan as crimes against humanity.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to condemn the Taliban's draconian restrictions on women and girls' rights. Those responsible for international crimes committed in Afghanistan should be held to account for their actions. We note the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor's application for arrest warrants against Taliban leaders in relation to the persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan. We welcome the progress being made in the investigation in Afghanistan. The UK Government respects the independence of the ICC. It is for the ICC Prosecutor to determine independently who should be prosecuted in accordance with his mandate under the Rome Statute.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of designating gender apartheid as a crime against humanity under international law.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is aware of calls for the inclusion of a new crime of gender apartheid in the draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention. We are assessing the merits and risks of such an approach by engaging closely with civil society and other partners to understand their views, and determine whether new international law is needed and would be beneficial.