Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has been able to obtain consular access to Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who is imprisoned in Egypt.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK Government is in contact with the Egyptian authorities and urgently seeking consular access. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abdel Fattah. The UK Government regularly raises human rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities, including with regard to political prisoners in the Egyptian system, both privately and in forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. This includes raising the implementation of the rights guaranteed by Egypt's constitution.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her Egyptian counterpart authorities on the detention of Alaa Abd el-Fattah.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK Government is in contact with the Egyptian authorities and urgently seeking consular access. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abdel Fattah. The UK Government regularly raises human rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities, including with regard to political prisoners in the Egyptian system, both privately and in forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. This includes raising the implementation of the rights guaranteed by Egypt's constitution.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her counterpart in the Israeli Government on the death of Shireen Abu Akleh.
Answered by Amanda Milling
On 11 May, I publicly expressed my sadness upon hearing news of the tragic death of veteran Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, and called for a thorough investigation. The Foreign Secretary also made this clear in a statement on 12 May. Officials from the British Embassy Tel Aviv have reiterated the importance of an investigation with the Israeli authorities. The safety of journalists across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the Nigerian Government on the imprisonment of Mubarak Bala.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK Government has followed Mr Bala's case closely, and has raised his case on multiple occasions with the Nigerian authorities, including following his recent sentencing. We believe that the right of individuals to express opinions is essential to a free and open society.We are concerned by the severity and length of sentence received by Mr Bala at trial. The British High Commissioner has expressed these concerns to the Kano State Government and the Nigerian President's Chief of Staff. We will continue to follow developments in Mr Bala's case closely and stress the importance of Mr Bala being treated in full accordance with his human rights, the rule of law, and the Nigerian constitutional right to freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, published on 21 March 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusion that Israel has imposed upon Palestine an apartheid reality in a post-apartheid world.
Answered by Amanda Milling
We do not agree with the use of this terminology. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights. This includes encouraging the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she is taking steps with her international counterparts to encourage early elections in Libya.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK fully supports the UN-facilitated, Libyan led and owned political process. Successful, free, fair and inclusive elections will be a crucial step in this process, and the Libyan people have made it clear their aspirations to have a say in who governs them. The UK is working with Libyan and international partners - including the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor Stephanie Williams and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya - to pursue this priority through an inclusive political process to support Libya's sovereignty and national unity and to put the country on a path towards sustained peace, security and prosperity.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government is taking steps together with international partners to encourage the disengagement of Russian and Turkish military forces from Libya.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK is working with Libyan and international partners - including the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor Stephanie Williams - to support Libya's sovereignty and national unity, and to put the country on a path to sustained peace, security and prosperity. In our engagement with external actors, we have been clear that the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries should happen without delay, as set out in the UK-led UN Security Council Resolution 2570, and that all external actors should implement the 20 October 2020 ceasefire agreement and the Action Plan agreed by the October 2021 5+5 Joint Military Committee Action Plan.