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 recent representations he has made to his Sri Lankan counterpart on that country's decision to withdraw from its commitments under the UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1 and 34/1; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for the Commonwealth and South Asia met the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on 25 February in Geneva to express the UK's serious concern about his country's announcement that it no longer supports the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka, and to urge him to reconsider. On 27 February the UK made clear our continued support for the resolution and its principles of reconciliation, accountability and justice for victims of conflict in a statement delivered at the UN Human Rights Council by the Core Group on Sri Lanka.
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 recent assessment he has made of the progress made by the Government of Sri Lanka on the implementation of UN Human Rights Council resolutions on that country.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We continually assess the progress made by the Government of Sri Lanka on the implementation of UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1. In March when the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued its latest Annual Report, we agreed that progress had been made. We welcomed the restoration of important democratic checks and balances, improvements in freedom of expression and assembly, the return of some military-held civilian land, the establishment of an Office of Missing Persons and the ratification of the Convention on Enforced Disappearances.
However, we want to see further and faster progress. We continue to urge the Government to establish the full range of transitional justice mechanisms envisaged in the UNHRC resolutions, to deliver meaningful devolution through constitutional reform, replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act with human rights compliant legislation, and return all remaining military-held private land. During his recent visit to Sri Lanka on 2-3 October, Lord Ahmad encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to deliver fully on its commitments made to the UNHRC and to develop a comprehensive and time-bound implementation strategy.
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, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on the demolition of Palestinian buildings in the Sur Baher neighbourhood in East Jerusalem; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
On 23 July, the UK alongside France, Germany and Spain, issued a statement condemning the demolition by Israel of Palestinian buildings in the district of Wadi al Hummus. On the same day, our Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) reiterated our concern at the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East. In this specific case, the demolitions were particularly egregious as a number of the buildings were located in Areas A and B, under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority according to the Oslo Agreements. They set a dangerous precedent that directly jeopardises the two-state solution, which is why I raised our deep concern to the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 24 July.
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 representations the Government has made to the Government of the People's Republic of China on the treatment of (a) Christian and (b) Muslim minority communities in that country.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Christians, Muslims and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The freedom to practise, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy.
Accordingly, at the 40th UN Human Rights Council in March 2019, during his opening address on 25 February, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad raised concerns about restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in China including on Muslims in Xinjiang and Christians across China. We also co-sponsored a side event on “Protecting the fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang” in March 2019, which helped to raise awareness of the situation among the international community. Lord Ahmad also set out the Government’s position when answering an Oral Question in the House of Lords on 4 April 2019. Further, we raised our concerns on freedom of religion and belief during China’s Universal Periodic Review in November 2018.
Ministers and senior officials frequently raise human rights issues bilaterally with their Chinese counterparts. The Foreign Secretary highlighted our concerns on Xinjiang with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his most recent visit to China in July 2018. Our Embassy in Beijing regularly raises the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and concerns about the pressures facing Christians directly with Chinese officials.