Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of potential crimes against humanity, including mass sexual violence, in Myanmar.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We remain deeply concerned about human rights violations in Burma. I raised our concerns when I met the Burmese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, U Kyaw Tin, on 27 February at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. During his visit to Burma in January, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), also raised similar concerns with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as well as military-appointed government ministers. When the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns visited Burma last November, she specifically raised the issue of sexual violence with the Burmese Minister of Defence, where she pressed him to handle allegations of sexual violence against women in a thorough and transparent manner.
The question of whether any crimes under international law have occurred in Burma is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments to determine. Our objective remains to end all violations of human rights in Burma, including conflict-related sexual violence.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Palestinian authorities on fuel shortages in Gaza.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are deeply concerned by the fuel shortages in Gaza and the serious impact on the humanitarian situation, including by disrupting the delivery of basic services and undermining already vulnerable livelihoods. Addressing Gaza’s energy shortfall is critical. We are in regular discussion with the Palestinian Authority, as well as with the Government of Israel, on this topic to encourage improved coordination and an increase in energy supplies.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on civilian casualties as a result of US airstrikes in Syria.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign Secretary discusses the situation in Syria and the Global Coalition's action against Daesh on a regular basis with US colleagues. He did so most recently during a visit to Washington from 21 to 22 March. As part of the Global Coalition, the UK is clear that while no military operations come without risk, the RAF takes all steps necessary to minimise the risk of causing civilian causalities.
We are aware of reports of civilian casualties allegedly caused by unilateral US action against Al Qaida targets in northern Syria. We welcome the US undertaking to investigate these reports.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterparts on the potential famine in Yemen.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Yemen is one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world. I regularly discuss the humanitarian situation and the risk of famine in Yemen with a wide range of interlocutors including the UN, international partners, Government of Yemen and humanitarian organisations. I most recently raised this with Saudi counterparts on Wednesday 29 March when I met with General Assiri, Advisor to the Saudi Defence Minister and Spokesman on the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the US Administration on the potential move of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign Secretary discussed a range of foreign policy issues, including the Middle East Peace Process, with the US administration during his visit to Washington on 21 and 22 March.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of US withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council on human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK is a strong supporter of the Human Rights Council. We were proud to be re-elected as members last year. It is in all our interests to strengthen the rules-based international system. But the Council’s current approach of a hugely disproportionate focus on Israel does not support human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, nor further the goal of a two-state solution. US engagement in the Human Rights Council is a matter for the US Government and we would not issue a statement regarding it.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
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 fulfil its UN Human Rights Council election pledge to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 9 March 2017 (PQ 66585).
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Myanmar government on steps to prevent hate speech and incitement of violence against Rohingya people in that country.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
This is an issue of serious concern in light of the extensive inter-communal violence of 2012 and the large-scale Buddhist nationalist protests seen across Rakhine at the start of July this year. The British Government has repeatedly raised our concerns with the Burmese Government at the highest levels, and will continue to do so. The former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised this a number of times, including in July 2015 last year during his visit to Burma, when he also visited Rakhine. We are encouraged to see that the new Burmese Government has started to take real steps to try to defuse tensions in Rakhine while making progress for the Rohingya, including through forming a cross-Government Rakhine committee and re-starting the citizenship verification exercise.