Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Israel on (a) the case of Issa Amro and (b) upholding Palestinians' right to undertake take non-violent protest in support of Palestinian human rights and statehood.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem attended Mr Amro's court hearing on 6 January. We continue to urge the Israeli Government to fully respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of human rights defenders and organisations. We have also raised concerns with the Palestinian Authority about the narrowing of space for civil society to operate in the West Bank.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the UK's Mission in Geneva is taking to prepare for a new UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK has long supported efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, including in our role as penholder on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. We firmly believe that UNHRC resolution 30/1, and its successor resolutions 34/1 and 40/1, remain the best framework for establishing truth and achieving justice and lasting reconciliation following the conflict in Sri Lanka. The UK's Mission in Geneva made this clear in statements delivered on behalf of the Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC in February, June and September.
The Minister of State for South Asia and Minister for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has also raised these concerns on several occasions with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, most recently during calls on 4 and 5 November respectively. We will continue to engage with the Government of Sri Lanka to underline the importance we attach to this issue. Ahead of the March 2021 session of the UNHRC, we will also continue to work with our international partners and with the HRC on how best to take forward this longstanding priority for the UK.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterpart on human rights in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government takes the human rights situation in Sri Lanka very seriously.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised a number of human rights concerns, including harassment of civil society and militarisation of civilian functions, when he spoke with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Gunawardena on 5 November.
We have urged Sri Lanka to address concerns in our statements to the UN Human Rights Council in February, June and September.
The UK will continue to highlight our concerns to the Government of Sri Lanka, and we will support human rights through our programme work including resettlement of victims of conflict and improving responses to sexual and gender based violence.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
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 (a) provide advice to and (b) repatriate UK citizens from Ecuador as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the change to date for answer of this PQ, I submitted a response by email on 26 March, with the following response. The Table Office have agreed this approach.
Our Embassy in Quito is regularly updating their travel advice, and publishing information on flights on their social media channels to ensure UK citizens are aware of all options. The Embassy have also set up a register for those wishing to return to the UK, which has been shared through email, and amplified via social media. Information includes a video from our Ambassador, requesting telephone numbers to enable the Embassy to contact British nationals swiftly when flight opportunities arise. Details are being passed on to airlines to enable further commercial flights next week.