Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to provide evacuation for LGBTQ+ people escaping persecution in Afghanistan.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We worked round the clock to airlift over 15000 people out of Afghanistan. We are working urgently with neighbouring countries to ensure that at-risk Afghans who are eligible to come to the UK can secure for safe passage. Minister for Human Rights Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon addressed the UN Human Rights Council on 24 August to underscore the UK's commitment to protecting the human rights of all Afghan people.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to introduce (a) additional sanctions and (b) other measures in relation to (i) the Russian Wagner Group and (ii) other groups operating in Libya in violation of international law.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is deeply concerned about reports of Russian Wagner Group personnel and other external actors operating in Libya. We take seriously violations of International Humanitarian Law and breaches of sanctions, including the UN arms embargo. We continue to stress to all states the necessity of complying with and enforcing international law. The UK carefully considers all reports of sanctions breaches, including the reports of the UN Panel of Experts, and regularly reviews sanctions measures.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with his NATO counterparts to mitigate the threat posed by Russia's attempts to develop a military airbase close to NATO's southern flank in Libya; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We continue to discuss with NATO allies how we must continue to work together on Libya to encourage all parties to de-escalate, support the UN ceasefire talks and respect the UN arms embargo. We share the concerns of the US and other allies about Russia's reported deployment of fighter aircraft from Syria and Wagner Group personnel to Libya in breach of the embargo.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Colombian counterpart on the killing of nine Colombian human rights defenders in the first week of June 2018.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We are concerned about reports of increasing violence against human rights defenders and social activists in Colombia. Illegal armed groups are responsible for the majority of these attacks. In response, I welcome the recent commitment by both President Santos and President-elect Duque to new special protective measures for social leaders, especially in rural areas.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to encourage the Government in Colombia to invite the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders to visit that country.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We encourage the Colombian Government to invite the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights to visit Colombia.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Colombia on the escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Chocó.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The British Embassy in Bogota has raised the situation in Choco with the Colombian authorities.
In September 2017, members of the British Embassy in Bogota accompanied a UK delegation including Baroness Coussins on a visit to Choco, organised by the NGO ABColombia.
The FCO worked closely with NGOs in preparation for Colombia's Universal Periodic Review at Geneva in May, raising concerns about violence against human rights defenders and conflict related sexual violence.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic (a) assistance and (b) support the Government has provided to the Government of Colombia to (a) tackle sexual violence being used by armed actors against the population in Chocó and (b) comply with the safeguards and commitments set out in the Ethnic Chapter in the Peace Accord.
Answered by Alan Duncan
In Choco, programmes supported by our Embassy in Bogota have supported female human rights defenders to gain access to justice and women's rights. More widely in Colombia, for FY 2018/19 the Embassy has allocated over £400k from the Global Britain Fund to support the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative in Colombia.
The UK supports the Ethnic Chapter of the peace deal, funding the creation – via the UN trust fund – of a body to monitor oversight of implementation of this specific chapter.
The UK has also financed a project implemented by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), to create regional groups from ethnic communities to design specific indicators that will help assess the implementation of this specific chapter.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Cayman Islands' ban on (a) civil unions, (b) civil partnerships and (c) same-sex marriage with the (i) Cayman Islands Constitution and (ii) UK's international treaty obligations.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We are pleased that the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have all taken steps to recognise and enable same-sex marriage. The Domestic Partnership Act passed in Bermuda in February 2018, removed the right to marry but replaced it with a provision for domestic partnerships with the same benefits as married couples. The Foreign Secretary has raised with the Premier of Bermuda his hope that the Domestic Partnership Act will be a stepping stone to putting same sex marriage on a statutory footing in the future.
The European Court of Human Rights has not, so far, interpreted the Convention to include a right to marry for same sex couples and has stopped short of finding a positive obligation generally to introduce protection equivalent to marriage. Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat and the Cayman Islands do not yet have in place legislation that provides for the recognition of same sex relationships whether by civil unions, civil partnerships or marriage. The new Governor of the Cayman Islands has publicly supported the introduction of civil unions and has urged the Premier and Leader of the Opposition to consider legislative change. There is a provision in the Cayman Islands' Constitution that provides that any person may apply to the Grand Court to determine compatibility with the Bill of Rights.
The European Convention on Human Rights applies to all the Overseas Territories. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon raised the need to ensure that human rights obligations are upheld, in his meeting with the Premier of the Cayman Islands in October 2017, and with the Governments of all the Caribbean Overseas Territories at the Joint Ministerial Council in November 2017. He will continue to raise the issue of LGBT equality with Territory Governments.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all homosexual citizens in British Overseas Territories have access to the institution of marriage.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We are pleased that the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have all taken steps to recognise and enable same-sex marriage. The Domestic Partnership Act passed in Bermuda in February 2018, removed the right to marry but replaced it with a provision for domestic partnerships with the same benefits as married couples. The Foreign Secretary has raised with the Premier of Bermuda his hope that the Domestic Partnership Act will be a stepping stone to putting same sex marriage on a statutory footing in the future.
The European Court of Human Rights has not, so far, interpreted the Convention to include a right to marry for same sex couples and has stopped short of finding a positive obligation generally to introduce protection equivalent to marriage. Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat and the Cayman Islands do not yet have in place legislation that provides for the recognition of same sex relationships whether by civil unions, civil partnerships or marriage. The new Governor of the Cayman Islands has publicly supported the introduction of civil unions and has urged the Premier and Leader of the Opposition to consider legislative change. There is a provision in the Cayman Islands' Constitution that provides that any person may apply to the Grand Court to determine compatibility with the Bill of Rights.
The European Convention on Human Rights applies to all the Overseas Territories. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon raised the need to ensure that human rights obligations are upheld, in his meeting with the Premier of the Cayman Islands in October 2017, and with the Governments of all the Caribbean Overseas Territories at the Joint Ministerial Council in November 2017. He will continue to raise the issue of LGBT equality with Territory Governments.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in which UK embassies and posts (a) civil partnerships and (b) gay civil weddings were celebrated in the last year.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Between 1 July 2016 and 6 July 2017 civil partnerships and same sex marriages were celebrated at UK Diplomatic Missions in Australia, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Germany, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Philippines, Serbia, Venezuela and Vietnam.