Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Angolan counterpart on supporting (a) investigation, (b) freezing, (c) seizure, and (d) recovery of any assets held in UK jurisdiction of individuals from that country under investigation for corruption; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime for those individuals.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK regularly engages with the Government of Angola to encourage all political parties to play a positive role in the democratic development of Angola. This includes engagement from the National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit and the International Anti-Corruption Co-ordination Centre who have provided assistance and training to Angolan authorities to support efforts to tackle corruption.
Regarding Global Anti-Corruption sanctions, we continue to explore future use and implementation of our autonomous sanctions powers. Imposing sanctions is one response among other tools and we will continue to use a range of approaches to combat corruption globally. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2023 to Question 1078 on Rwanda: Human Rights, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of due process during the investigation into the death of John Williams Ntwali and; whether he is aware of any action taken by the Rwandan authorities since 7 February 2023 to address concerns around due process during that investigation.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK government understands that a police investigation determined that a traffic incident led to the death of John Williams Ntwali. We raised this case with Government of Rwanda and underlined the importance of transparent investigations. The UK remains committed to working with Rwanda to support the development of its civil and political rights, and to address any concerns around the limited space for political opposition and critical voices. We discuss these issues regularly with the Government of Rwanda, both directly and via our High Commission. We are not aware of any further updates to the case but will continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an estimate of the number of people at risk of death from (a) hunger and (b) drought in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
During my recent visit to Ethiopia, I saw firsthand the seriousness of the humanitarian situation in Tigray. Across northern Ethiopia, including Tigray, El Nino is causing drought that is affecting 4 million people. According to assessments from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, nearly 1.4 million in Tigray will need immediate emergency food assistance because of drought.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Tigray.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) in November 2022, reduced the scale of violations and abuses in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, though reports of sexual and gender-based violence continued throughout last year, particularly in areas occupied by Eritrea and militias. The space for civil society and media continues to be constrained and whilst progress has been made in the process to develop a national Transitional Justice policy, implementation and genuine accountability for human rights violations and abuses remains lacking.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Rwanda on the (a) treatment in detention and (b) health of journalist Dieudonné Niyonsenga; and if he will make it his policy to call for his release.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are aware of the detention of Dieudonné Niyonsenga. The UK remains committed to working with Rwanda to support the development of its civil and political rights, and to address any concerns around the limited space for political opposition and critical voices. Where we have concerns about restrictions on political opposition, civil society and media freedom, we raise these with the Rwandan government, both directly and via our High Commission.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has taken steps to fund the BBC World Service after 2025.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Funding for the BBC World Service after 2025 will be determined as part of the next Government Spending Review.
For the FY2022-25 Spending Review, FCDO provided a flat-cash settlement of £283 million to the World Service via the World 2020/2025 programme. As part of the Integrated Review Refresh in 2023, the Government provided a further £20 million over 2 years to protect all 42 language services from closure. The Government recently launched a BBC funding review, which will report to Ministers in the Autumn.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of whether the death sentences given to six people in Ghana in January 2024 will be carried out; and whether he has had recent discussions with his Ghanaian counterpart on this issue.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and congratulates Ghana for its recent abolition of the death penalty for ordinary crimes. We encourage Ghana to sign the second optional protocol on International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which abolishes capital punishment for all crimes, including treason which relates to the recent sentencing. Ghana has not carried out an execution since 1993, but courts have continued to hand down death sentences. I [Minister Mitchell] raised the recent sentences with the Vice President and leaders of the Foreign Affairs Committee during my recent trip to Ghana.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with the UN on the potential merits of taking further steps to help protect (a) members of expert panels mandated by the Security Council and (b) other UN (i) investigators and (ii) researchers from reprisals for their work.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Mission to the UN regularly engages with the UN regarding personnel issues, including the general safety and wellbeing of its staff. This engagement includes frequent contact with Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on safeguarding procedures against reprisals for those who cooperate with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the UN more broadly. Concerning individual cases, the UK Mission to the UN has held recent discussions with the Security Council Affairs Division regarding the safety of Panel of Expert members.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what further steps he plans to take with international partners to support accountability for alleged violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity detailed in the final report of the Panel of Experts as considered by the Committee established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1591 on 15 January 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK continues to take a leading role in supporting processes for justice and accountability in Sudan. On 11 October 2023, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' resolution to establish an independent and international Fact-Finding Mission. This will support future accountability efforts in Sudan. The UK is also funding open-source investigation experts to use satellite and social media to verify and preserve information relating to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
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 impact of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea on (a) humanitarian supply deliveries and (b) sea-borne trade through Port Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Houthis' unacceptable and illegal actions, which threaten freedom of navigation, are disrupting sea-borne trade through Port Sudan. Existing blockages to the delivery of humanitarian assistance including bureaucratic barriers, looting of supplies and attacks on aid convoys must stop. We continue to call on both sides of the conflict in Sudan to abide by their responsibilities under International Law, protect civilians and to grant immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access, so that aid can reach those who need it.