Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Iranian authorities on the increase of the death penalty against people below the age of 18 as stated in the Amnesty International Report Death Sentences and Executions 2018.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including Iran. This is especially so in cases which do not meet the minimum standards defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We have made clear to Iran, both in public and in private, our opposition to the use of the death penalty and will continue to do so, particularly in relation to the execution of minors and those sentenced to death for crimes committed as minors. The UK is committed to holding Iran to account on a wide range of human rights issues, through contact with the Iranian government, through the UN, and with our European partners. The EU demarched Iran on use of the death penalty most recently in March 2019, and about the case of Zeinab Sekaanvand (under the age of 18 when sentenced) in October 2018. The EU conducts such demarches whenever it becomes aware of cases.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to ensure the safety of protesters in Sudan.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Since protests began in December we have consistently called on the Sudanese authorities to release all political detainees, stop the use of violence against peaceful protestors, remove all restrictions to freedoms, and allow for a credible political dialogue in a conductive environment with all key Sudanese actors. Our statement of 9 April, made with our partners Norway and the United States, made this clear in the strongest terms. In addition, I made clear to the Sudanese Foreign Minister on 13 March that the use of force against protestors was unacceptable and must end.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry 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 South Asian counterparts on the steps they are taking to reduce air pollution.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government has regular wide ranging conversations on climate and environment issues with our partners in the South Asian region. We remain committed to working with governments in the region on issues that help to reduce air pollution such as urban development, clean energy and transport.
The UK is among the largest global contributors of public climate finance to help countries both mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change – committing £5.8 billion from 2016 to 2020 from our Official Development Assistance budget.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry 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 his Bahraini counterpart on the political prisoner Najah Yusuf.
Answered by Mark Field
Our Embassy in Bahrain continues to monitor the case of Najah Ahmed Yusuf and has raised her case at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry 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 his Thai counterpart on the conduct of the recent elections in Thailand.
Answered by Mark Field
Ahead of the elections in Thailand on Sunday 24 March, the UK engaged in regular dialogue at Ministerial and senior official level with the Thai authorities and urged them to embrace a free and open environment in which elections could occur, including during Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s meeting with the Prime Minister in June 2018. Our Embassy in Bangkok also used every opportunity to press for the elections to be conducted in a transparent and peaceful manner.
Following the elections on Sunday, I issued a statement welcoming the fact that elections had taken place and highlighted that it was important that any reported irregularities were investigated swiftly, fairly and transparently. I also emphasised that the process of government formation should be conducted in a proper and open manner, and reflect what people voted for.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 Brunei Government on the freedom of the LGBT+ community in that country.
Answered by Mark Field
I raised UK concerns about hudud punishments during my visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018. More recently I raised these issues on Friday 29 March in a letter to the Deputy Foreign Minister. Additionally the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses the introduction of the Sharia Penal Code with the Government of Brunei.
We will continue to encourage and work with the Bruneian Government, as with many other countries, to remove corporal and capital punishment from their statutes. We will also urge them to take steps to decriminalise and pass laws to protect LGBT people from all forms of discrimination.
The UK believes in the right to live with dignity, free from violence or discrimination irrespective of a person's sexual orientation. The International community must uphold the universality of human rights; the criminalisation of same-sex relations is wrong.
The UK is committed to combating discrimination and violence against LGBT people throughout the Commonwealth and ensured that last year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Communique included the most progressive language yet on LGBT rights, complimented by an historic speech from the Prime Minister, and backed up with major programme spending on gender equality and LGBT rights.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has been updated to alert British citizens of the introduction of the new local laws in Brunei and we continue to lobby against the use of such punishments.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We assess arms exports to Saudi Arabia against strict criteria. The key test for our arms exports to Saudi Arabia is whether there is a clear risk that those items subject to the licence might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry 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 US counterpart on the future of the Golan Heights; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
We have not recently discussed our concerns with the US Government. In our statement on 22 March we reiterated our position that the UK views the Golan Heights as territory occupied by Israel. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law, including the UN Charter. The UK did not recognise Israel's annexation in 1981 and we have no plans to change our position.