Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Saudi counterpart officials on the 20-year sentence recently upheld against Saudi humanitarian aid worker Mr. Abdulrahman al-Sadhan.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We continue to monitor the case of Mr Abdulrahman al-Sadhan. FCDO Ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights in our engagement with the Saudi authorities. We have consistently pressed for due process and raised concerns about the use of solitary confinement, lack of family contact and allegations of torture.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her international counterparts on the case of critically ill cancer patient and Palestinian national Mr. Mohammed al-Khudari currently in prison in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK regularly engages with international partners. Our position is clear that all detainees should have access to adequate medical care and medical supplies.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department plans to take in response to the continued detention of senior members of the Saudi royal family, including Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Prince Turki bin Abdullah and Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Salman; and what representations her Department has made on the detention of those people to Saudi officials.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We continue to monitor the cases of Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Salman and Prince Turki bin Abdullah. FCDO Ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights in our engagement with the Saudi authorities. We have consistently pressed for due process and raised concerns about the use of solitary confinement, lack of family contact and allegations of torture.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to ensure (a) an investigation into and (b) accountability for potential violations of international law in the context of Israel’s May 2021 military offensive on Gaza.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Israel has a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend its citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that Israel ensures its actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and that it makes every effort to avoid civilian casualties. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including raising concern about Israel's actions when warranted.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN Secretary-General on the omission of the Saudi and Emirati-led Coalition in the UN Secretary-General's annual list of perpetrators of grave violations against children.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK continues to call on the UN Secretary-General for greater transparency on listing decisions. The UK is firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict. We use our permanent UN Security Council (UNSC) membership to ensure conflict-related child protection issues remain a key part of UNSC discussions and that UN operations address child protection issues. The UK condemns in the strongest terms all grave violations and abuses committed against children in Yemen, and we urge the parties to the conflict to uphold their human rights obligations under applicable international law.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
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 implications for his policies of the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on children and armed conflict; and what steps the Government is taking to hold perpetrators of grave violations against children to account.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which leads the international response to the use of child soldiers and child protection. This includes pressing those parties to conflict listed in the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC, to enter into concrete action plans with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces and to prevent re-recruitment. We apply diplomatic pressure to listed governments and armed groups, and fund projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children.
Protecting children in conflict builds on our work to support lasting political settlements, create resilient and accountable institutions of security and justice, and help international and regional organisations to prevent and resolve conflict. Failing to protect children affects a country's ability to emerge from conflict, undermining the prospects of future generations and the potential of tomorrow's leaders.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what human rights issues and cases of concern he raised when he met Iraqi officials during his visit to Baghdad on 8 June 2021.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Foreign Secretary discussed efforts to hold militia groups to account for their actions, including work with the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq to identity those responsible for violations against demonstrators in 2019-20. He also discussed the need to help internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable communities, which had previously been under Daesh control.
We will continue to speak out against human rights violations and abuses, and support the Government of Iraq to safeguard the human rights of all Iraqis.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he made on (a) violations of freedom of the media and expression and (b) the cases of (i) Sherwan Sherwani, (ii) Ayaz Karam Brushki, (iii) Kohidar Mohammed Zebari and (iv) other arbitrarily detained journalists and activists when he met the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, and his officials on 9 June 2021.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
During the Foreign Secretary's visit to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on 9 June he raised the importance of freedom of expression, including media freedom, as well as the KRI's progress on religious tolerance and support for internally displaced people.
I have raised and continue to raise the importance of media freedom during my engagements with political leaders from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Our Ambassador in Baghdad, and our Consul General in Erbil, also regularly discuss these issues with their interlocutors in the Kurdistan Regional Government, and made a public statement on the detained journalists and activists in May 2021.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what human rights issues and cases of concern he raised when he met the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, and his officials on 9 June 2021.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
During the Foreign Secretary's visit to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on 9 June he raised the importance of freedom of expression, including media freedom, as well as the KRI's progress on religious tolerance and support for internally displaced people.
I have raised and continue to raise the importance of media freedom during my engagements with political leaders from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Our Ambassador in Baghdad, and our Consul General in Erbil, also regularly discuss these issues with their interlocutors in the Kurdistan Regional Government, and made a public statement on the detained journalists and activists in May 2021.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which officials he met when he visited the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on 9 June 2021.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Foreign Secretary met with Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister; Minister of the Diwan, Fawzi Hariri; Vice President Jaafar Mustafa; and Vice President Mustafa Said Qadir.