Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of changes in the level of violence against Christians in Turkey.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Christians, and note that the right to freedom of religion and belief is clearly enshrined in the Turkish constitution. Our travel advice for Turkey notes that terrorists may target places of worship. The UK stands with Turkey against terrorism, and we welcome the Turkish authorities' swift response to security threats, such as the fatal shooting at Santa Maria Church in Istanbul on 28 January.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying Magnitsky sanctions against Ali Rezvani.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK has over 200 sanctions designations in place against Iran in relation to human rights, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. On 10 October, the UK used the dedicated Iran Human Rights sanctions regime to designate the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list#full-publication-update-history
It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying Magnitsky sanctions against Gholamreza Ziaei.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK has over 200 sanctions designations in place against Iran in relation to human rights, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. On 10 October, the UK used the dedicated Iran Human Rights sanctions regime to designate the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list#full-publication-update-history
It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying Magnitsky sanctions against Ali Ghanaatkar.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK has over 200 sanctions designations in place against Iran in relation to human rights, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. On 10 October, the UK used the dedicated Iran Human Rights sanctions regime to designate the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list#full-publication-update-history
It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying Magnitsky sanctions against Iranian Chief of Police Hossein Ashtari.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The UK has over 200 sanctions designations in place against Iran in relation to human rights, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. On 10 October, the UK used the dedicated Iran Human Rights sanctions regime to designate the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sanctions-on-iran-relating-to-human-rights
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying Magnitsky sanctions against Iranian intelligence official Alireza Shahvaroghi Farahani.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The UK has over 200 sanctions designations in place against Iran in relation to human rights, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. On 10 October, the UK used the dedicated Iran Human Rights sanctions regime to designate the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sanctions-on-iran-relating-to-human-rights
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of apply Magnitsky sanctions against Iranian intelligence official Mahmoud Khazein.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The UK has over 200 sanctions designations in place against Iran in relation to human rights, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. On 10 October, the UK used the dedicated Iran Human Rights sanctions regime to designate the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sanctions-on-iran-relating-to-human-rights
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help women from religious minorities who are persecuted in Afghanistan by the Taliban and have their freedoms severely curtailed due to fear of kidnapping, forced conversion and forced marriage.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are committed to prioritising women and girls in the Government's response to the situation in Afghanistan and remain concerned about their safety. We are consulting Afghan women's organisations to understand how best to support their needs, in safety and with dignity. On 21 October, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia, UN and the Commonwealth, attended the annual Women, Peace and Security Open Debate at the UN Security Council and met prominent Afghan women to discuss how the UK can best support women and girls.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether representatives of the Government attend UN Conferences of the Parties on subjects of domestic policy to which the media have been denied access.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There are numerous international Conferences of the Parties (COPs) organised on a range of issues (e.g. Biodiversity COP, Desertification, Chemical Weapons).
Engagement and representation with COPs depends on the specifics of each. In general, inter-governmental negotiations, under UN treaties, are not commonly open to the media and the wider public.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the continued detention and wellbeing of Hasan Mushaima.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We continue to monitor and raise the case of Hassan Mushaima, as necessary, at senior levels with the Bahraini Government. The Government of Bahrain has been clear that access to medical care for those in detention is provided in line with the Constitution of Bahrain. We welcome those assurances. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to raise the matter with the Bahraini human rights oversight bodies. The UK continues to engage with the Government of Bahrain to support its reform agenda, and to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.