Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen mechanisms to enable perpetrators to be accountable for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Support for international criminal justice and international humanitarian law is a fundamental element of the UK's foreign policy. The UK believes that justice and accountability for the most serious international crimes are crucial to building lasting peace and security. In line with these principles, the British Government has supported the strengthening of a number of mechanisms to enable justice and accountability for the most serious international crimes.
The UK, as a State Party to the Rome Statute, provides financial, political and practical support to the International Criminal Court. We are one of the largest contributors to the Court, contributing £9.7m in 2018. The UK, together with a number of other States Parties, is proposing a number of actions to strengthen the Court to help it to fulfil its mandate under the Rome Statute. These will be discussed at the Assembly of States Parties in December. Our goal is to improve the Court's ability to deliver justice for victims of atrocity crimes that fall under its jurisdiction.
Since 2016, we have committed almost £1 million to the UN International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) to support the preparation of legal cases for serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian conflict. Following UK-led lobbying, on 1 August the UN Secretary General announced a new Board of Inquiry to investigate attacks on civilian infrastructure during the recent violence in Northwest Syria. We are also committed to supporting the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM). The UK played a leading role in the joint European Union and Orginisation of Islamic Cooperation resolution that set up the IIMM, which will collect and preserve evidence of human rights violations for future prosecutions.
Furthermore, we intend to establish a UK human rights sanctions regime under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 after we leave the EU. The regime designed to target individuals who have committed serious human rights violations, but who would otherwise not be addressed by the current geographical and thematic sanctions regimes.
We work through the multilateral system not only to support the implementation of agreed standards on human rights, democracy and the rule of law; but also to hold countries to account when they violate those standards. For example, in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the UK was instrumental in invoking the Moscow Mechanism in response to the serious human rights violations in Chechnya. The UK has been vocal in both the Permanent Council and the Human Dimension Committee in its criticism of those participating states that fail to uphold universally agreed principles. Similarly, in the Council of Europe the UK has been consistent in challenging those member states that fail to meet their obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights, including the execution of judgements by the Court.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Secretary of State for International Trade’s letter of 16 September 2019 to the Chair of the Committees on Arms Export Control, when the British Embassy in Riyadh became aware that Royal Saudi Land Forces were operational in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
In line with its formal role in providing advice to DIT on the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provided its advice on the three applications in question for export to Saudi Arabia on 2 April and 6 June 2019. On 18 June 2019, the FCO team in the Export Control Joint Unit received information from the British Embassy in Riyadh that RSLF troops were deployed in Yemen. At this stage, the FCO was unaware that the licences had not already been issued by DIT and this was before the undertaking to the court on 20 June.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has make of the accuracy of the Saudi Press Agency release of 14 September 2018 that stated that an RSLF helicopter crashed on operations in in Al-Mahra province in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We closely monitor the situation in Yemen, however we have not made an assessment on the incident in question.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Secretary of State for Trade’s letter of 16 September 2019 to the Chair of the Committees on Arms Export Control, for what reasons the Department for International Trade and Ministry of Defence were not immediately informed that the Royal Saudi Land Forces were operational in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
In line with its formal role in providing advice to DIT on the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provided its advice on the three applications in question for export to Saudi Arabia on 2 April and 6 June 2019. On 18 June 2019, the FCO team in the Export Control Joint Unit received information from the British Embassy in Riyadh that RSLF troops were deployed in Yemen. At this stage, the FCO was unaware that the licences had not already been issued by DIT and this was before the undertaking to the court on 20 June.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Yemen Quad will next convene to meet.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are discussing with relevant parties the timing and details of the next meeting of the Yemen Quad. In the meantime it is vital that all parties abide by agreements made in Stockholm. We continue to engage constructively with all parties, including the Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and General Lollesgaard, to continue to build confidence and make progress on the political solution.
During my recent visit to the Gulf, I met with senior regional political figures including the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem al Hashimy; and the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel al Jubeir, to discuss Yemen.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has made an assessment of whether the airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition on a detention centre in Dhamar, Yemen on 1 September 2019 was a legitimate military operation in line with international humanitarian law.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian deaths after an attack on a detention centre in Dhamar province in Yemen on 1 September. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected.
We are urgently seeking more information and are in touch with Coalition partners, who have referred the incident to the Joint Incident Assessment Team and publicly stated they were targeting a weapons depot.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
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 Saudi Arabian and Emirati counterparts on the airstrike on a detention centre in Dhamar, Yemen on 1 September 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian deaths after an attack on a detention centre in Dhamar province in Yemen on 1 September. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected.
We are urgently seeking more information and are in touch with Coalition partners, who have referred the incident to the Joint Incident Assessment Team and publicly stated they were targeting a weapons depot.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Aden, Yemen; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are gravely concerned by the recent escalation of violence between southern and Yemeni Government forces in Aden. The UK calls on all parties to cease hostilities and engage urgently in talks.
We have always been clear about the fact that a political settlement is the only way to bring long-term peace, stability and security to Yemen. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith to overcome obstacles and find a political solution to end the conflict.