Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with Russian LGBTQ+ activists and civil society on changes in Russian law affecting LGBTQ+ people in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
We share the concerns of LGBT+ rights organizations and will continue to support them and other civil society groups in the face of bigotry and repression. With our international partners in the Equal Rights Coalition, we’ve made clear to Russia that we stand with LGBT+ Russians following these amendments.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support the peace talks in the Tigray region in Ethiopia.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The breakdown of the truce and return to conflict between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Ethiopian Government is catastrophic for the people of Ethiopia. It risks tens of thousands of deaths, both directly through fighting and indirectly through a further deepening of the already dire humanitarian situation. 22 months since fighting began, it is clear that there is no military solution to the conflict.
There is currently no humanitarian access to Tigray by land or air. The UK is urging all parties to the conflict to ensure humanitarian access to northern Ethiopia, including by immediately reinstating the cessation of hostilities. We remain confident that progress towards peace can be made if talks begin. We have welcomed the commitment by both parties to ending the conflict through dialogue, and are now urging both parties to deliver on these commitments and to begin African Union-led peace talks.
The 19 September report by the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations, such as extrajudicial killings, rape, sexual violence, and the starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare have been committed in Ethiopia since the conflict began. The breakdown of the truce risks further atrocities. Our Embassy in Addis Ababa is engaging with all parties of the conflict and urging them to prioritise the protection of civilians and cease fighting.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) humanitarian, (b) political and (c) human rights situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The breakdown of the truce and return to conflict between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Ethiopian Government is catastrophic for the people of Ethiopia. It risks tens of thousands of deaths, both directly through fighting and indirectly through a further deepening of the already dire humanitarian situation. 22 months since fighting began, it is clear that there is no military solution to the conflict.
There is currently no humanitarian access to Tigray by land or air. The UK is urging all parties to the conflict to ensure humanitarian access to northern Ethiopia, including by immediately reinstating the cessation of hostilities. We remain confident that progress towards peace can be made if talks begin. We have welcomed the commitment by both parties to ending the conflict through dialogue, and are now urging both parties to deliver on these commitments and to begin African Union-led peace talks.
The 19 September report by the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations, such as extrajudicial killings, rape, sexual violence, and the starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare have been committed in Ethiopia since the conflict began. The breakdown of the truce risks further atrocities. Our Embassy in Addis Ababa is engaging with all parties of the conflict and urging them to prioritise the protection of civilians and cease fighting.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
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 impact of the resumption of violence on delivering humanitarian assistance and supplies to Ethiopia's Tigray region.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The conflict in Ethiopia has contributed to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, leaving 13 million people in Tigray, Amhara and Afar requiring humanitarian assistance. The breakdown of the truce between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian Government, and the renewed involvement of Eritrea, is catastrophic for the people of Ethiopia and makes the work of humanitarian agencies much more difficult. There is currently no humanitarian access to Tigray by land or air. This is having a devastating impact on food security, access to healthcare and other humanitarian needs.
The UK urges all parties to the conflict to guarantee unfettered humanitarian access by immediately ceasing hostilities and allowing aid in.