Asked by: Tom Elliott (Ulster Unionist Party - Fermanagh and South Tyrone)
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 support the Nigerian government combat (a) Boko Haram and (b) other terrorist groups.
Answered by James Duddridge
We are fully committed to help Nigeria combat Boko Haram and fight terrorism. The UK is providing a substantial and increasing package of UK military, intelligence and development support to Nigeria. This includes increased counter-terrorism cooperation and capacity building, training and advice to units deployed against Boko Haram, £5 million to support a regional taskforce for the North East, as well as humanitarian and development aid to support communities affected by the conflict.
Asked by: Tom Elliott (Ulster Unionist Party - Fermanagh and South Tyrone)
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 threat posed by Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Answered by James Duddridge
We welcome the recent successes achieved by the Nigerian armed forces against Boko Haram. However, despite being pushed back from key population centres in North East Nigeria, the group remains a threat to stability, launching regular suicide bomb attacks both in Nigeria and neighbouring countries. It is estimated that over 20,000 people have been killed, over 2.2 million have been displaced and at least 4.6 million have been affected by the insurgency. The UK is supporting President Buhari and the Government of Nigeria in their stated commitment to defeat Boko Haram.
Asked by: Tom Elliott (Ulster Unionist Party - Fermanagh and South Tyrone)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of Faisal bin Hassan Trad's appointment as Chair of a panel of independent experts on the UN Human Rights Council.
Answered by David Lidington
The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia has served on the United Nations Consultative Group since 1 January 2015. His appointment as Chair was an internal decision made by the United Nations Consultative Group, which is a subordinate body of the Human Rights Council. The group is currently made up of five ambassadors, serving in their personal capacity, from each of the five regional groups in the UN. The UK’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva is not part of this Consultative Group and the appointment was not a decision of the Human Rights Council. It is standard procedure for the chairmanship of the Group to rotate during the course of the year.
Asked by: Tom Elliott (Ulster Unionist Party - Fermanagh and South Tyrone)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent the execution of Ali Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are very concerned about the case of Ali Mohammed Al Nimr. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised this case with the Saudi Arabian authorities at a senior level. We will continue to follow this case closely. The UK opposes the death penalty in all cases. Ministers, our Ambassador, and the Embassy team frequently raise the issue of the death penalty with the Saudi authorities, bilaterally and through the European Union.
Asked by: Tom Elliott (Ulster Unionist Party - Fermanagh and South Tyrone)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure Saudi Arabia ceases its persecution of Christians and other religious minorities.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British Government strongly supports the right to freedom of religion or belief.
The public practice in Saudi Arabia of any form of religion other than Islam is illegal, however, the Saudi authorities do accept foreign workers privately practising religions other than Islam. These restrictions on freedom of religion or belief reflect widely held conservative social values in Saudi society.
Our position on human rights in Saudi Arabia is a matter of public record. We have regularly made our views known, including through the UN Universal Periodic Review process and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, in which Saudi Arabia continues to be a designated priority country. We raise our human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels of communication.
Asked by: Tom Elliott (Ulster Unionist Party - Fermanagh and South Tyrone)
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 counterpart on the death sentence handed out to Ali Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are very concerned about the case of Ali Mohammed Al Nimr. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised this case with the Saudi Arabian authorities at a senior level. We will continue to follow this case closely. The UK opposes the death penalty in all cases. Ministers, our Ambassador, and the Embassy team frequently raise the issue of the death penalty with the Saudi authorities, bilaterally and through the European Union.