Asked by: Marco Longhi (Conservative - Dudley North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is her Department's policy that Daesh (ISIS) crimes against Christian and Yazidi women constituted genocide.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK is committed to the prevention and punishment of genocide as appropriate under the Genocide Convention, to which the UK is party. It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. This policy does not inhibit the UK from taking robust action to address the egregious human rights abuses committed by Daesh.
We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidis, Christians and other minorities, as well as Muslim populations in Syria and Iraq. We note the conviction in a German court on 30 November 2021 of a former Daesh fighter for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We are following this case and its review closely. We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.
Asked by: Marco Longhi (Conservative - Dudley North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the Christian population of the Middle East.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Bilaterally, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and do not shy away from challenging those we believe are not meeting their obligations. Multilaterally, we work with the UN, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Council of Europe, G7 and other fora to promote FoRB.
In addition to our bilateral and multilateral action, we will host an international Ministerial conference on 5-6 July 2022, in London. The UK-hosted International Ministerial Conference on FoRB will drive forward international efforts on this agenda and demonstrate the UK's leading role in supporting freedom and openness. This conference will allow us to use our global influence to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief for all internationally.
Asked by: Marco Longhi (Conservative - Dudley North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with her international counterparts on tackling attacks by Boko Haram against women and girls in Nigeria.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are deeply concerned at the devastating impact of attacks by extremist groups, including Boko Haram, on women and girls in Nigeria. We condemn all incidents of violence against civilians. The UK Government continues to put women and girls at the centre of our approach to foreign policy, including preventing violence and supporting women's participation in peace efforts.
The Foreign Secretary has made tackling conflict-related sexual violence one of her top priorities, and Nigeria is one of nine focus countries in the UK's Women Peace and Security (WPS) National Action Plan. At our recent dialogue in support of our Security and Defence Partnership with Nigeria, we committed to collaborate and share best practice on implementation of our respective WPS National Action Plans. We have raised conflict-related sexual violence in Nigeria with the Nigerian Government and Nigerian stakeholders, and continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect all those at risk of violence, and to bring perpetrators to justice. We have offered to provide training in support of efforts to ensure gender perspectives are taken into account during security operations. I was able to discuss Nigeria's complex security situation, and the UK's offer of support, with the Vice President and Foreign Minister during a visit to Abuja last month.