Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Iranian authorities on the treatment of Christians in that country.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Iran's human rights record continues to be of serious concern to the UK, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has designated it as one of its Human Rights Priority Countries. We regularly raise the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities in Iran with the Iranian Government, and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues. At the UN General Assembly in September, we brought the international community together at a UK-hosted event to shine a spotlight on Iran's human rights abuses. We will also be using Iran's forthcoming Universal Periodic Review in November, to raise concerns about the ongoing discrimination and targeting of religious minority groups, including the Christian community.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what monitoring his Department has undertaken of prison sentences imposed on Christian ministers and other religious figures by the Government of Iran on the basis of that people in those positions present a risk to national security.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are aware of reports about the continued harassment and mistreatment that the Christian and other minority groups face. The continued restrictions on freedoms of expression, religion and belief are deeply worrying. While some religious minorities are formally protected in the constitution, the reality is that many non-Muslims face discrimination. Despite constitutional recognition, the persecution of Christians has been continuous, systemic, and institutionalised.
We support the assessment of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights that discrimination against the Christians in Iran is sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief. Work has begun to implement the recommendations from the Bishop of Truro’s Review in a way that will bring real improvements in the lives of those persecuted because of their faith or belief.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of (a) the Chinese Government's compliance with the Sino-British Declaration and (b) the effect of that declaration under international law.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Sino-British Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty, registered with the UN, that remains in force. The UK, as a co-signatory, has an obligation to monitor its implementation closely, and we are committed to doing so. We respect China's sovereignty but we also believe it is important to speak out where we have concerns and to make sure that the Joint Declaration, recognised in international law, is upheld.
The government reports to Parliament at six monthly intervals on implementation of the Joint Declaration. The next Six Month Report will be published shortly. The government has not assessed to date that China has explicitly breached the Joint Declaration, with the exception of the involuntary removal of Mr Lee Po, a British citizen, to mainland China without any due process under Hong Kong Special Administrative Region law in 2015. That incident constituted a serious breach and undermined the principle of "One Country, Two Systems" which assures Hong Kong residents of the protection of the Hong Kong legal system.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made on (a) human rights, (b) police violence and (c) repression in Hong Kong to (i) his Chinese counterpart, (ii) the Chinese Ambassador to the UK and (iii) the Government in Hong Kong; and what response has been received to those representations.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are in regular contact with the Governments of Hong Kong and China on this issue. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on 9 August, where he raised our concern about the situation in Hong Kong and the police's response to the protests. He also raised Hong Kong with Chinese State Counsellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Bangkok on 31 July, where he underlined that the UK and China have a joint and legal commitment to the freedoms enshrined in the Joint Declaration.
The Chinese Ambassador to the UK was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 3 July to meet the Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service, Sir Simon McDonald, where he was told the comments he made on UK policy towards Hong Kong were unacceptable and inaccurate. Since that date FCO officials have been in regular and frequent contact with senior officials at the Chinese Embassy in London to discuss the situation in Hong Kong, including on the right to peaceful protest and the use of force by police in Hong Kong.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have plans to hold meetings with the delegation from Fight for Freedom Stand With Hong Kong to discuss the recent events in Hong Kong.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Neither the Foreign Secretary nor other Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers have plans to meet this organisation, but we will consider all meeting requests on their merits when they are received.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of religious freedom and tolerance in Eritrea.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are concerned by reports on the lack of religious freedom and tolerance in Eritrea. We raise human rights with the Government of Eritrea regularly, including religious freedoms. The former Minister for Africa raised our concerns with the Eritrean President's senior adviser in July, as did our Ambassador in Asmara with the same advisor in August. At the 41st session of the OHCHR Human Rights Council on 24 June to 12 July the UK reiterated calls for Eritrea to respect freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of Eritrean troops fighting in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We monitor the conflict in Yemen closely. However, we are not aware of how many Eritrean troops may be in Yemen.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Sudanese counterpart on the removal of their troops from Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Sudan is a member of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. UK policy is that the use of any national force in another country must be authorised under international law. British Embassy Khartoum routinely engages with the recently appointed civilian government in Sudan on key priority areas and how we can support them, including on human rights and rule of law.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role the troika of UK, US and Norway has had in Sudan’s constitutional settlement.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Along with Africa Union and Ethiopian mediation efforts the Troika (UK, US and Norway) engaged frequently with members of the Transitional Military Council and the Forces of Freedom and Change to encourage an agreement. The UK and our Troika partners welcomed the signing of a Constitutional Declaration on 17 August setting out the process of transition to civilian-led government. On 22 August the UK, with Troika countries, issued a statement congratulating Dr. Abdalla Hamdok on his appointment as Prime Minister and commended his commitment to freedom, peace and justice (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dr-abdalla-hamdok-made-prime-minister-of-sudan-troika-statement).
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has discussed term limits for governing and elected officials in Sudan with (a) military leaders and (b) civilian members of the (i) sovereign council and (ii) legislative council and (c) Ministers of that country.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK welcomes the Constitutional Declaration signed on 17 August which sets out the plan for Sudan's transition to civilian-led government. We are engaging with the Sovereign Council and newly appointed Prime Minister to support reform and change in Sudan. On 11 September, our Ambassador in Khartoum met with Prime Minister Hamdok to discuss how the UK can provide practical support to the Prime Minister's priorities of establishing peace across Sudan and reforming the economy. We look forward to working with the Cabinet, including the new Foreign Minister Asma Mohamed Abdalla. Our Ambassador in Khartoum has also met with a number of civilian members of Sudan's Sovereign Council, including Mohamed Hasan al Ta'yushi on 2 September and Aisha Musa on 22 September, to discuss a range of issues such as the importance of civilian roles in democracy. As part of the agreed process of transition to civilian rule set out in the Constitutional Declaration the Sovereign Council acts in lieu of a head of state during the 39 month transition period. The UK does not take a view on term limits of governing and elected officials in Sudan, but we do support the establishment of proper democratic processes in line with the agreed Constitutional Declaration.