Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 UAE counterpart on the treatment and release of the group of Emirati prisoners of conscience known as the UAE 94.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK urges all countries to comply with their human rights obligations. Our close relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) allows us to discuss important issues such as human rights and where the UK has cause for concern, we raise these concerns at official and Ministerial level. We have previously raised the case of Ahmed Mansoor with senior Emirati officials in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the political situation in Hong Kong.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Foreign Secretary discussed the importance of upholding the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework, which is set out in the Joint Declaration, with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 31 July.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July to Written Question 276505 on Abdullatif Nasser, if his Department will make representations to the US Administration for the release of Abdullatif Nasser.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The case relating to NASSER is a matter for the US and Moroccan authorities. The British Government’s long-standing position remains that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay should close.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on (a) reports that the Public Places Supervision Office is seeking to close Baha’i-owned businesses in Iran and (b) the targeting of other minority communities in that country.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are aware of reports indicating that Baha'i owned businesses are being targeted for closure, including reports of the attempted closure of a care centre in Karaj, Iran. We remain concerned about the continued harassment and mistreatment that the Baha'i and other minority groups face.
We support the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'is in Iran is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the US Administration for the release of Abdullatif Nasser after Mr Nasser was cleared for transfer in 2016.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Government has not made representations to the US Administration in relation to this specific case. The British Government's long-standing position remains that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay should close.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the US Administration on releasing Guantanamo Bay inmates who have been cleared for release by the Periodic Review Board.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The British Government's long-standing position remains that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay should close and we continue to engage with the US Government on this issue to make this position clear. The UK continues to work closely with the US on a wide range of national security issues.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on reports of the closure of a Baha’i-run elder care centre in Karaj, Iran.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are aware of reports indicating that Baha'i owned businesses are being targeted for closure, including reports of the attempted closure of a care centre in Karaj, Iran. We remain concerned about the continued harassment and mistreatment that the Baha'i and other minority groups face.
We support the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'is in Iran is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief.