Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51141 on Western Sahara: Self-determination of States, if he will support a referendum on self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 1 June, the Foreign Secretary endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the Western Sahara conflict. To that end, the UK continues to support the parties and the UN to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination. The UK will continue to support the efforts of the United Nations and the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, and work with all stakeholders to encourage dialogue and compromise, with the aim of achieving a peaceful and mutually agreed resolution that upholds the dignity and rights of the people of Western Sahara and contributes to long-term regional stability.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the transfer of Moroccan citizens into occupied Western Sahara is a breach of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards. We regularly make this clear to the parties. On 1 June, the Foreign Secretary endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the Western Sahara conflict. In that context, we continue to support the parties and the UN to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 48089 on Bahrain: Human Rights, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the criticisms from civil society organisations about the institutions mentioned.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We take civil society views into account, alongside a range of other sources of information, when making human rights assessments about a country. The UK continues to support the development of Bahrain's human rights institutions.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
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 counterpart in Bahrain on Bahrain’s political isolation laws.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has not discussed this with his Bahraini counterpart.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
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 counterpart in Bahrain on the (a) independence and (b) effectiveness of (i) Bahrain's human rights oversight mechanisms, (ii) the National Institution for Human Rights and (iii) the Office of the Ombudsman.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary visited Bahrain in October 2024 and met the Foreign Minister. The focus of that visit was de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, and to meet UK personnel working in the region, underscoring our commitment to regional security and stability.
The UK encourages all countries to uphold international human rights obligations. We recognise a number of positive steps taken by the Government of Bahrain over recent years in a range of human rights and justice areas, some of which the UK has directly supported, including the establishment of some of these independent human rights oversight bodies, such as the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ministry Of Interior Ombudsman, and the Prisoner and Detainee Rights Commission (PDRC), and helped build the capacity of the National Institute for Human Rights (NIHR).
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take in response to (a) the case of Sayed Hassan Jawad, (b) reports that political detainees in Jaw Prison had to be transferred to hospital and (c) other allegations of ill-treatment of political prisoners in Bahrain.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK maintains a dialogue with Bahrain on issues including detention and prison conditions at Jau. We encourage individuals alleging concerns about treatment in detention to report them to Bahrain's oversight bodies, which are established to deal with such matters. The FCDO has not raised the case of Sayed Hassan Jawad.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in (a) Kuwait, (b) Qatar and (c) Bahrain on their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and what steps he is taking to support participative democracy in those countries.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
His Majesty's Government continues to engage across a range of human rights priorities with Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. We remain committed to the promotion of universal freedoms and upholding human rights globally and encourage all countries to meet their international and domestic human rights commitments.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to update the guidance by his Department entitled Overseas Business Risk: Israel section, published on 16 June 2023, to include (a) reference to the publication and (b) an assessment of the implications of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice entitled Legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, published on 19 July 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has received the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the 'Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem'. The UK is considering the Opinion carefully before responding. The UK respects the independence of the ICJ.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports of the sentences for social media activity imposed on (a) Salma al-Shehab, (b) Fatima al-Shawarbi, (c) Nourah al-Qahtani and (d) Manahel al-Otaibi in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by David Rutley
We have raised the continued detention of individuals for expressing their political views, including women and women's rights defenders, with the Saudi authorities. The British Embassy in Riyadh continues to monitor a number of cases and will continue to attempt to attend trials where possible. FCDO regularly raises freedom of expression cases with the Saudi authorities, including as recently as 31 January by Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. Saudi Arabia remains a FCDO human rights priority country, in part due to continued restrictions on freedom of expression.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the death sentences of Yousif Al-Manasif and Ali Al-Mubaiouq for crimes they allegedly committed as minors; and what recent representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on those death sentences.
Answered by David Rutley
Saudi Arabia remains an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country, in part because of the continued use of the death penalty. The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. During Saudi Arabia's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council on 22 January, the UK Government recommended that Saudi Arabia abolish the juvenile death penalty and conduct thorough investigations into individuals who may have been minors at the time of their alleged crimes. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has also raised recent cases with the Saudi authorities as a priority, including in January with the President of the Human Rights Commission.