Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the need for funds to enable the disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration of those perpetrating violence in the Central African Republic.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) is essential to create the conditions for stability and security in the Central African Republic (CAR). The UN peacekeeping force in CAR, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), is the lead on DDR work in CAR. The UK works closely with MINUSCA to ensure it provides adequate support to CAR authorities to launch DDR in CAR.
MINUSCA has budgeted $28 million for a DDR programme aimed at what they expect will amount to 3,500 ex-Seleka fighters in total and 1,500-3,500 dependants. Through the UK’s contribution to MINUSCA, we support this vital work on pushing DDR forward in CAR.
MINUSCA is currently in the pre-DDR phase, preparing for the launch of DDR. This entails a sensitisation process/education process for former combatants who will take part in DDR.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the Central African Republic should be included in the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict initiative.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Work in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been an important part of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative in recognition of the large role that sexual violence has played in the conflict in CAR which has included the sexual abuse of women and children, sexual slavery and rape. This work has, to date, been primarily carried out through our work with the African Union (AU). Since the launch of the initiative, the UK has provided £1.3 million to support the AU’s Gender Peace and Security Programme. This includes the deployment of sexual violence experts that were deployed to the CAR in 2014. These experts provided support to victims in the districts of Paoua, Kaga-Bandoro and Bambar. This Programme also supported the AU’s Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, Madame Bineta Diop. We are working with the AU to build on this deployment and increase AU capacity to carry out similar deployments in the future.Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the situation of Ahmadi Muslims in The Gambia, particularly in the light of the statement made by the Gambian Supreme Islamic Council claiming them to be non-Muslims.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government is concerned about the statement issued by the Gambian Supreme Islamic Council in January claiming that the Ahmadiyya community are not Muslims. The UK position on human rights is clear: they are universal and must apply equally to all people. This includes freedom of religion, and divergent views or interpretations should be allowed to co-exist. Our Embassy will be speaking to the Government of The Gambia about these statements and will continue to monitor developments closely.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of whether coercion is being exercised on Indian citizens to reconvert to Hinduism.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware that incidents of discrimination against minority communities in India do still occur. India’s Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. The Indian government has a range of policies and programmes to support religious minorities.
We discuss minority issues with the Indian authorities and support minority groups through the Department for International Development’s programme in India which helps to promote equal treatment and access to services for the most disadvantaged communities.
I refer the noble Baroness to my previous answers of 31 December 2014 (HL3847 and HL3848).
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the refusal of a visa by the government of India to Archbishop Roche.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware that Archbishop Roche was refused a visa to travel to India. Decisions on issuing visas are a matter for the Indian government. The British Government is unable to intervene in another country’s visa procedure.Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to, or discussions they have had with, the government of India regarding freedom of religion or belief in that country since the election of Prime Minister Modi.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British High Commissioner Sir James Bevan met India’s new Minister of Minority Affairs, Dr Najma Heptulla, on 16 June to discuss a range of minority issues. Our High Commission in New Delhi discusses minority issues, including religious tolerance of Christians, with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with other relevant State level authorities. Minority rights were also discussed at the EU-India human rights dialogue on 27 November 2013. We will continue to maintain a dialogue with the new Indian government about minority rights issues.
We also support religious and other minorities in India through the Department for International Development’s programme in India which helps to promote equal treatment and access to services for the most disadvantaged communities.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the reports of an attack on 13 December by Hindu radicals on a Christian pastor and his church members singing Christmas carols in Hyderabad.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
India’s Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. The Indian government has a range of policies and programmes to support religious minorities. However, incidents of discrimination against minority communities in India do still occur. We are aware of the recent attack on a pastor in Hyderabad. The Chief Minister of Telangana Sri K Chandrashekar Rao made clear publicly that such attacks would not be tolerated.
The British High Commissioner Sir James Bevan met India’s new Minister of Minority Affairs, Dr Najma Heptulla, on 16 June to discuss a range of minority issues. Our High Commission in New Delhi discusses minority issues, including religious tolerance of Christians, with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with other relevant State level authorities. Minority rights were also discussed at the EU-India human rights dialogue on 27 November 2013. We will continue to maintain a dialogue with the new Indian government about minority rights issues.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran regarding Mojtaba Seyyed Alaedin Hossein, imprisoned in Iran because of his religious beliefs.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We remain deeply concerned by the detention and ill treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have not raised this individual case with the Iranian Government. However, we have called for the Iranian government to end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, most recently at Iran’s Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights at the UN on 31 October.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the refusal by the government of Iran to admit Members of Parliament wishing to visit Iran for inter-parliamentary discussions on human rights.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Iranian government has not raised this issue with us. However, previous bilateral discussions over the last year have indicated that Iran views an expansion of UK/Iranian parliamentary dialogue as contingent on further progress in the broader UK/Iran bilateral relationship.Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number, and current location, of Yezidis displaced by IS.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The impact the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) atrocities have had on the Yezidi community and other civilians is devastating. The British Government strongly condemns the persecution of communities on the basis of their religion, belief or ethnicity.
The UN estimates that 1.9 million people in Iraq have been displaced by the humanitarian emergency in total. All UK funded aid is distributed on the basis of need to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion or ethnicity. We have therefore not carried out an assessment of the total number of Yezidis that have been displaced by ISIL and their current location, but will continue to work with the UN and the international community to ensure peoples’ basic needs are met.