Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea, published in June 2016, if he will support an investigation by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court into violations of human rights by the government of Eritrea that may amount to crimes against humanity.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We share the concerns of the Commission of Inquiry regarding human rights in Eritrea. The UN Human Rights Council in June adopted a resolution responding to the findings of the Commission's report. This resolution set out steps needed to improve the human rights situation in Eritrea.
We are taking steps to support implementation of this resolution. We have made clear to the Government of Eritrea the tangible improvements we want to see, including amending its national service system, fully implementing its own constitution and releasing those arbitrarily detained.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with (a) UK companies and (b) the Malawian government on oil exploration around Lake Malawi.
Answered by James Duddridge
Our High Commissioner to Malawi met a representative of UK oil exploration firm Surestream, who are now a minority shareholder of an exploration licence for one of the oil exploration blocks in Lake Malawi, on 29 February. Last month the High Commissioner also discussed with the Malawi Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining his desire for assistance to develop legislation and agreements that would conform to global good governance standards and protect Malawi's national interests.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken through the Commonwealth to promote abolition of the death penalty in all Commonwealth States.
Answered by David Lidington
The Government supports a moratorium on use of the death penalty across the Commonwealth and works diplomatically and by means of projects to promote abolition in individual Commonwealth countries. Some Commonwealth member states are steadily moving towards abolition. Relatively few persist with carrying out executions and several are contemplating legislative reform. Fiji abolished the death penalty altogether in 2015.Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what projects his Department has funded in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016 to promote abolition of the death penalty.
Answered by David Lidington
With regard to projects funded in 2015/16, I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 14 January 2016 to the Rt Hon. Member for Hendon (Dr Matthew Offord). (21301).
https://wqa.parliament.uk/Questions/Details/27418
Decisions on the allocation of the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy in 2016/17 have not yet been taken.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will re-introduce its strategy for abolition of the death penalty.
Answered by David Lidington
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given by my noble friend Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 25 January 2016 in reply to The Marquess of Lothian’s question (HL5007). https://wqa.parliament.uk/Questions/Details/28566Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK Embassy in Israel has taken to monitor attacks on Christian places of worship.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Our Embassy in Tel Aviv is in regular contact with representatives of churches on a range of issues, including to discuss concern about attacks on places of worship. The last attack occurred on 17 January 2016 where the Dormition Abbey compound of the Orthodox Church in the Old City of Jerusalem was vandalised with anti-Christian slogans. The ‘Tag Meir’ organisation has listed 44 cases of vandalism and arson on Christian and Muslim places of worship in Israel and the West Bank since December 2009.