Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how his Department is using its term as (a) co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition and (b) Commonwealth Chair in Office to ensure governments around the world are protecting LGBT+ communities from increased marginalisation and violence during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton
As co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) in partnership with Argentina, we are leading the ERC's work, in co-operation with civil society, to address violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and the ongoing criminalisation of same sex conduct in 70 countries. We have started work on a new ERC Strategy to guide and re-energise the work of the ERC, and are currently working on an ERC statement that calls on all governments to limit the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic on people identified based on real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics. Likewise as Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, the UK continues to raise the importance of countering discrimination within the Commonwealth, including on grounds of gender identity or sexual orientation. In both of these roles working through international organisations, we regularly raise concerns about countries that do not comply with their human rights obligations and promote non-discrimination against LGBT people, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 9 April, the UK participated in the UN Human Rights Council's first ever virtual conversation with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Discussion focused on the human rights implications of the COVID-19 crisis which included concerns about increased risks on vulnerable groups. In his statement to the Council, our Ambassador to the UN in Geneva stressed the importance to ensure that parliaments, media and civil society all play their role to scrutinise the actions of governments and international agencies, and that we do not lose sight of the international human rights frameworks. The British Government remains committed to upholding the rights and freedoms of LGBT people in all circumstances.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that support for LGBT+ initiatives remain adequately resourced during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The British Government is fundamentally opposed to all forms of discrimination and works to uphold the rights and freedoms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people in all circumstances, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding for LGBT projects comes from a variety of sources. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will consider future funding cycles for FCO funded programmes as part of its preparation for the Spending Review.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
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 implications for his policies of the ongoing judicial proceedings against women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia; and whether UK officials have been granted access to attend the trial sessions.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are concerned about the continued detention of women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty and restrictions on women's rights, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief. We will continue to call for political detainees, including women's rights defenders, to be given adequate legal representation. We have pressed for due process and raised concerns over the use of solitary confinement and the use of torture. The UK attends trials of international importance in all countries where permitted. The UK, along with other embassies in Saudi Arabia, has requested and been denied access to each and every trial we have been aware of since October 2018, with the exception of the trials for those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. We regularly raise human rights issues with Saudi Arabia, most recently by the Foreign Secretary during his visit earlier this month.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his policy to (a) reassess UK security (i) assistance to and (ii) co-operation with Governments that appoint individuals accused of involvement in torture to senior positions on security bodies and (b) withdraw that assistance when those allegations are deemed credible.
Answered by Mark Field
The Government applies its Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) guidance to any assistance provided overseas. The OSJA guidance is a framework to assess and manage any human rights risks associated with UK assistance . OSJA assessments completed for specific projects or cases are regularly reviewed and updated in line with developments in the country concerned. This informs how the assistance is pursued.
In countries where Her Majesty's Government is regularly engaged in security and justice assistance, the relevant diplomatic mission maintains an in-country assessment and provides it to all interested departments or agencies to aid them and provide consistency in the OSJA process.
The OSJA guidance was updated in January 2017. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office engaged with a number of human rights organisations (including members of the Foreign Secretary's Advisory Group on Human Rights), as part of the revision. I am confident that the new OSJA process remains the most comprehensive and demanding tool of its type anywhere in the world.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has undertaken a review of Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments in relation to intelligence sharing with the US as a result of the appointment of Gina Haspel to Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The revised Overseas Security and Justice Assistance guidance was published in January 2017. It is the longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on intelligence matters. The UK-US relationship is grounded in our history and shared traditions. In both countries, intelligence work takes place within a strong legal framework.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which British Embassies flew the rainbow flag to mark the (a) Pride day of the local country, (b) International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on 17 May 2017 and (c) public demonstration of support for the rights of LGBT people between 5 August 2016 and 4 August 2017.
Answered by Mark Field
The promotion and protection of LGBT rights is a UK foreign policy priority and our Embassies and High Commissions overseas are encouraged to use the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia and local Pride events to support efforts to promote equality and non-discrimination. The rainbow flag is flown to mark these occasions at the discretion of the Head of Mission.
UK missions also support the rights of LGBT people through other means, including through private messaging to host governments, joint statements with like minded countries, and by supporting the activity of local LGBT civil society organisations.
Missions are not required to inform London of whether or how they mark international days, and no central records are kept.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
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 effect on tensions in the region of military exercises in which the UK has (a) participated and (b) not participated as a result of nuclear tests by North Korea.
Answered by Mark Field
We support South Korea and its allies' right to defend themselves in the face of escalating aggression from North Korea. We do not accept that there is any equivalence between the regular, defensive and legal military exercises held by South Korea and the United States, and the aggressive and illegal ballistic missile tests and nuclear testing being conducted by North Korea, which are the cause of the raised tensions on the Korean peninsula.
The UK is a sending state to the UN Command in Seoul. Alongside other nations, we routinely send military and civilian personnel to participate in two large scale military exercises conducted each year in South Korea.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
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 ability of non-governmental organisations to operate freely in Egypt and the restrictions they face; and when and at what levels that issue was last raised by UK officials with their Egyptian counterparts.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is deeply concerned over the ability of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to operate freely in Egypt. Ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights concerns with Egyptian authorities; this includes restrictions on civil society. I raised these issues with Egyptian counterparts during my visit to Cairo in August 2017. The UK also raised concerns about restrictions on civil society and media freedoms in Egypt at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2017.
The UK believes that respect for individual and civil rights in Egypt is fundamental to Egyptian stability and prosperity and we will continue to urge Egypt to reduce restrictions on NGOs operating in the country, both in bilateral and multilateral fora.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of progress towards identifying who was accountable for the abduction, torture and murder of Giulio Regeni, including the arrest and continuing detention of the legal adviser to the Regeni family, Ibrahim Metwally Hagazy; and when and at what levels that issue was last raised by UK officials with their Egyptian counterparts.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Officials have followed the case of Giulio Regeni closely since his disappearance in Cairo on 25 January 2016. We were appalled by Mr Regeni's murder, and the brutal manner of his killing. As Mr Regeni was an Italian citizen, the Italian Government is taking the lead role on his case. We have raised the need for a transparent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of Mr Regeni's murder with the Egyptian authorities at Ministerial and official levels. We are deeply concerned by the arrest of human rights lawyer Ibrahim Metwally Hegazy. The Embassy in Cairo is following up this case with the Egyptian authorities. The UK has made clear its concerns about enforced disappearances, as well as the wider human rights situation in Egypt, through its national statement at the recent session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the level of assessment he has made of disappearances, mass arbitrary arrests, torture, deaths in custody and extra-judicial killings committed by the Egyptian forces in the context of their counter-terrorism operation in Sinai; and when and at what levels that issue was last raised by UK officials with their Egyptian counterparts.
Answered by Alistair Burt
UK officials regularly raise human rights concerns with their Egyptian counterparts. Egypt is a Foreign Office Human Rights Priority Country. Our Annual Human Rights report for 2016, which reviewed developments pertaining to human rights abuses in Egypt is available on gov.uk.
The UK raised concerns about torture, enforced disappearance and extra-judicial killings in our national statement at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2017 and Foreign Office Ministers have also publicly expressed the UK’s deep concern about the human rights situation in Egypt. We look to the Egyptian government to respect the rights guaranteed in Egypt’s constitution and investigate all reports of abuses, whether they occur in the Sinai.
We will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Egypt, and to urge the Egyptian government to implement the human rights provisions contained in its constitution.