Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on when to apply sanctions to pressure countries to comply with international law with regards to human rights abuses.

The Government's response to reports of human rights violations is determined on a case by case basis.

The Government is implementing United Nations or European Union sanctions regimes focussing on human rights violations in relation to the following countries: Belarus, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Libya, Mali, South Sudan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Furthermore, the 2017 Criminal Finances Act allows UK law enforcement agencies to use civil recovery powers to freeze the assets of those who violate human rights wherever those violations take place, where that property is held in the UK. The Home Secretary can also exclude from the UK individuals whose presence is not conducive to the public good.