Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Egyptian counterpart on (a) the use of the death penalty and (b) reports of violations of international fair trial guarantees and forced confessions in that country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Egypt is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly raises human rights issues, including about the use of the death penalty and due process in trials, with the Egyptian Government.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Egyptian counterpart on the imprisonment of (a) Ahmed Gamal Ziada, (b) Mahmoud Hussein (c) Ismail Alexandrani, (d) Hisham Gaafar and (e) other journalists in that country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are aware of recent reports of the imprisonment of these individuals and of other journalists in Egypt. We are very concerned about restrictions on media freedom in Egypt. Our Ambassador in Cairo has therefore raised several of these cases and our wider concerns with the Egyptian Assistant Minister for Human Rights on 21 February.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Omani counterpart on the arbitrary detention of the Shuhuh 6 and other human rights violations in that country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign Secretary has not raised the case in question. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office encourages all States to uphold their international human rights obligations. Any allegations of human rights violations are concerning and must be thoroughly, promptly and transparently investigated.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his Department's policy to support the creation of an international independent body to oversee dams holding mining waste as a result of the collapse of the Corrego do Feijao and Samarco dams in Brazil.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The dam collapse is now the subject of investigation by the Brazilian authorities. As the Prime Minister stated to the House on 30 January, we are in touch with the local authorities and stand ready to provide whatever support we can. The UK Government works internationally with governments and business to ensure the highest environmental, safety and labour standards.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the report entitled, Protecting Children in 21st Century Conflict, published by Save the Children in February 2019, whether the recommendations in that report will be included in his Department's Protection of Civilians Strategy.
Answered by Mark Field
The Government is currently reviewing its global strategy on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, and is committed to ensuring that its approach benefits all civilians, including children. The Government welcomes recent research carried out by academics and NGOs in this field, and will consult with them and take their work into account as it undertakes its own review.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department plans to publish its guidelines for supporting human rights defenders.
Answered by Mark Field
The Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN is committed to making UK support for human rights defenders more transparent. Officials are working in consultation with NGOs to publish a document setting out UK support for human rights defenders in 2019.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Saudi counterpart on the detention of female human rights activists detained in that country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The British Government is very concerned about the reports that women's rights activists have been subject to torture during pre-trial detention in Saudi Arabia. We have raised concerns about these cases at Ministerial level a number of times with the Saudi authorities.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to support the work of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala following recent attempts by the Guatemalan Government to shut the commission down.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK has been a vocal advocate of anti-corruption efforts and the valuable work carried out by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) to support and strengthen Guatemalan national institutions. In response, I have released a statement expressing our disappointment at the Guatemalan governments attempt to prevent CICIG carrying out its mandate. The UK also joined statements of the EU and the G13 local donor group condemning Guatemala's decision to unilaterally terminate the agreement establishing CICIG and calling on the Guatemalan government to uphold the rule of law. The UK will continue to monitor developments, through our Embassy in Guatemala, and call upon the Guatemalan government to allow CICIG to complete its mandate and ensure the security of its staff.