Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the UK is taking to co-ordinate with other international powers for a global arms embargo on the Tatmadaw.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is a longstanding supporter of an arms embargo on Myanmar. We are clear that no international power should sell arms to the Myanmar military. The UK autonomous Myanmar sanctions regulations prohibit the provision of military related services, including the provision of technical assistance, to or for the benefit of the Tatmadaw. We will work closely with partners to pressure those who sell arms to the military.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to extend the existing UK sanctions on 25 individuals to others within the command structure of the Tatmadaw.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK, in conjunction with partners including the US and Canada, have announced targeted sanctions against nine high-ranking military officials for their role in serious human rights violations during the coup. We are actively consulting with partners on further measures, including additional sanctions. We are determined to impose a cost on the Myanmar military and we will consider all tools at our disposal. These sanctions follow the 16 individuals from the Myanmar military who were previously listed by the UK for human rights violations.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
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 legitimacy of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw in Myanmar.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), which is composed of many individuals who were elected in November 2020, are an important voice for many in Myanmar. We coordinated with them to read out excerpts from their statements at the Special Session of the Human Rights Council on 12 February, and at the UN General Assembly meeting on 26 February.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with countries that have not imposed sanctions on Myanmar on imposing sanctions on that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We believe sanctions are an important tool to increase pressure on the Myanmar military and we are working closely with partners to coordinate on further sanctions.
The UK, in conjunction with partners including the US and Canada, has announced targeted sanctions against nine high-ranking military officials and we continue to work in concert with our partners and allies on additional measures, including further sanctions.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the UK government plans to take in relation to the needs of the 322 Myanmar university students who were arrested and imprisoned in Tamwe, Yangon.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is clear that people's rights to freedom of expression and to protest must be respected. We have called on the military regime to release all those who have been detained arbitrarily and to respect the right to freedom of assembly. It is unacceptable that so many people have been detained, injured or killed in the struggle for democracy. The UK has already imposed sanctions on nine individuals for their role in serious human rights violations, including violating the right to liberty and security. We are determined to impose a cost on the Myanmar military and we are working with partners to ensure a strong and coordinated response, using all tools at our disposal.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the (a) legal and (b) judicial costs to the UK have been of contesting the claim brought by Mauritius under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to date; and what estimate he has made of future such costs.
Answered by James Duddridge
The legal costs in terms of Counsels’ fees incurred by the UK in defending the proceedings brought by Mauritius were £681,220. As the award has been handed down by the Arbitral Tribunal, we do not at this stage expect there to be any significant future legal costs.
The Tribunal has concluded that Mauritius and the UK should share the costs of the Tribunal in hearing this case. In that regard, the UK has made a payment of 1.3 million Euros (approximately £957,000). We will shortly be receiving a final note of fees of the Tribunal. We understand that it is likely that the UK’s payment exceeded the UK’s share of the Tribunal’s costs and that accordingly, a proportion of the UK’s payment will be remitted back. We therefore cannot at this stage give a final indication of the Tribunal’s total costs.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether the recent KPMG report is the first independent study there has been on the feasibility of resettlement in the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by James Duddridge
Both the 2002 and the current feasibility studies of resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory involved external consultants. The scope and scale of the most recent study delivered by KPMG was much broader than the 2002 report.Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Bahrain concerning the cases of Nabeel Rajab and Hussain Jawad and other human rights activists charged with expression-related offences.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I have raised Mr. Rajab’s case with senior representatives of the Government of Bahrain and encouraged the Bahraini authorities to ensure due process is followed and international norms of justice are upheld, including with regards to freedom of expression. The Government is also following Mr Jawad’s case closely. The British Embassy in Bahrain has raised the allegations of mistreatment made by Mr Jawad with the Ministry of Interior’s Ombudsman. I understand that Mr Jawad’s complaint has been referred to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and a criminal investigation is underway. The Ministry of Interior Special Investigation Unit is aware of the UK’s concerns about this case. British embassy officials have attended Mr Rajab and Mr Jawad’s court appearances.Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
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 implications for his policies of the communication to Bahrain by the UN Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Special Rapporteur on free assembly and Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders on 14 October 2014, expressing concerns about the trial of Mr Nabeel Rajab in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I am aware that a number of UN rapporteurs wrote to the Government of Bahrain in October 2014 in relation to the arrest of Nabeel Rajab. I have raised Mr. Rajab’s case with senior representatives of the Government of Bahrain, and encouraged the Bahraini authorities to ensure due process is followed and international norms of justice are upheld, including with regards to freedom of expression. British embassy officials have attended Mr Rajab’s court appearances to underline the UK’s interest in his case and the UK Government will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the monitoring of human rights in Mexico; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
I would like to thank the hon. Member for his efforts to promote discussion of human rights in Mexico via the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mexico and the All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group. The promotion and protection of human rights are a key priority for this Government and I receive regular reports from my officials on the human rights situation in Mexico, including the recent tragic events in Iguala and Tlatlaya. We maintain a regular dialogue with the Mexican government on human rights as part of our strong bilateral relationship. We also work with non-government organisations (NGOs) and human rights defenders both here and in Mexico on these issues.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s human rights work in Mexico has focused on tackling impunity as a way of improving human rights across the country. These include projects to: