Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to mark the 31st Anniversary of killings in Khojaly on 26 February 1992.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
FCDO established a Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub in September 2022; the Hub is supporting FCDO teams to embed atrocity prevention work and build capability, including on monitoring and risk assessments. The UK Government remains committed to supporting efforts to secure positive relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and continues to work through bilateral channels and multilateral fora in pursuit of that goal. In recent engagements with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 22 February and Armenian Foreign Minister on 18 January, I [Minister Docherty] reinforced the need for constructive negotiations between the two states. The events of February 1992 were a tragic episode in Azerbaijan's history, and were strongly condemned by the UK Government at the time. Such hostilities should never take place again. The UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan laid a wreath at the memorial in Baku on 24 February.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 prevent atrocities; and if he will make a statement on the 31st anniversary of the killings in Khojaly in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
FCDO established a Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub in September 2022; the Hub is supporting FCDO teams to embed atrocity prevention work and build capability, including on monitoring and risk assessments. The UK Government remains committed to supporting efforts to secure positive relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and continues to work through bilateral channels and multilateral fora in pursuit of that goal. In recent engagements with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 22 February and Armenian Foreign Minister on 18 January, I [Minister Docherty] reinforced the need for constructive negotiations between the two states. The events of February 1992 were a tragic episode in Azerbaijan's history, and were strongly condemned by the UK Government at the time. Such hostilities should never take place again. The UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan laid a wreath at the memorial in Baku on 24 February.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 implications for his policies of the statement of 8 January from economists and academics calling on creditors to share the burden of debt restructuring for Sri Lanka.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully supportive of the proposed Coordination Platform between Sri Lanka's Paris Club and non-Paris Club creditors, which we believe represents the most efficient way to restore debt sustainability in Sri Lanka.
Constructive engagement across creditors is vital to secure a prompt and comprehensive International Monetary Fund programme for Sri Lanka and ensure a sustainable economic recovery. As a member of the Paris Club, the UK stands ready to consider the necessary Financing Assurances to secure an Extended Financing Facility with the IMF in a timely manner.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what reports he has received of the reimprisonment and 10 year sentences in the cases of Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet, two Baha’i women in Iran; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The persecution of religious minorities in Iran cannot be tolerated. This includes the Iranian regime's systematic persecution of Iran's Baha'i community which has worsened over the last year. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, made this clear in his 5 August statement. The Government reiterated its commitment to holding Iran to account for its treatment of the Baha'i at the 11 October Westminster Hall debate. The UK raised the Baha'i at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee on 26 October and pressed for the inclusion of the Baha'i in the 16 November UNGA Resolution.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role the Government is undertaking (a) within in the UN Security Council and (b) bilaterally to help (i) halt human right abuses against children in Iran and (ii) hold perpetrators accountable.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to holding Iran to account for the appalling treatment of children throughout the brutal crackdown of protests. The UK highlighted this issue at the UN Human Right Council on 24 November, at which we supported a successful Resolution to establish a UN investigation into the human rights violations committed by the regime during the protests. The Foreign Secretary also called out Iran's treatment of children alongside his G7 partners at the meeting of Foreign Ministers on 4 November. The UK will continue work with partners at international fora to call on the Iranian authorities to abide by their obligations under international law and to improve the practices surrounding children in detention.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 Iranian counterpart to stop all human rights violations against children.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to holding Iran to account for the appalling treatment of children throughout the brutal crackdown of protests. The UK highlighted this issue at the UN Human Right Council on 24 November, at which we supported a successful Resolution to establish a UN investigation into the human rights violations committed by the regime during the protests. The Foreign Secretary also called out Iran's treatment of children alongside his G7 partners at the meeting of Foreign Ministers on 4 November. The UK will continue work with partners at international fora to call on the Iranian authorities to abide by their obligations under international law and to improve the practices surrounding children in detention.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that all children detained in Iran are released.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to holding Iran to account for the appalling treatment of children throughout the brutal crackdown of protests. The UK highlighted this issue at the UN Human Right Council on 24 November, at which we supported a successful Resolution to establish a UN investigation into the human rights violations committed by the regime during the protests. The Foreign Secretary also called out Iran's treatment of children alongside his G7 partners at the meeting of Foreign Ministers on 4 November. The UK will continue work with partners at international fora to call on the Iranian authorities to abide by their obligations under international law and to improve the practices surrounding children in detention.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief on (a) discrimination, (b) administrative deportations and (c) blacklisting resulting in the loss of employment, income, and separation of families faced by the Baha’i community in Qatar as set out in the Annex to the report entitled A/HRC/49/44: Rights of persons belonging to religious or belief minorities in situations of conflict or insecurity, published in March 2022; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As a longstanding human rights priority, the UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. FCDO Officials, both in the UK and in Doha, have and will continue to engage with members of the Baha'i community in Qatar. Officials in Doha raised the challenges faced by some members of the Baha'i community with the Director for Human Rights from the Qatari Ministry of Interior and Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The UK Ambassador to Qatar has also raised the issue with Qatari Ministers. We will continue to raise these issues with the Qatari Government, including in light of the Special Rapporteur's for Freedom of Religion or Belief's report 'Rights of persons belonging to religious or belief minorities in situations of conflict or insecurity' published in March 2022.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief on the Baha’i community in Qatar as set out in the Annex to the report entitled A/HRC/49/44: Rights of persons belonging to religious or belief minorities in situations of conflict or insecurity, published in March 2022; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As a longstanding human rights priority, the UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. FCDO Officials, both in the UK and in Doha, have and will continue to engage with members of the Baha'i community in Qatar. Officials in Doha raised the challenges faced by some members of the Baha'i community with the Director for Human Rights from the Qatari Ministry of Interior and Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The UK Ambassador to Qatar has also raised the issue with Qatari Ministers. We will continue to raise these issues with the Qatari Government, including in light of the Special Rapporteur's for Freedom of Religion or Belief's report 'Rights of persons belonging to religious or belief minorities in situations of conflict or insecurity' published in March 2022.