Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing sanctions under Section 1(2)(f) of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 on officials from Oman involved in human rights abuses against the Shuhuh 6.

My Rt Hon Friend The Minister of State for the Middle East has raised these cases with the Omani authorities, as has our Ambassador in Muscat. They have given us the strongest assurances that the individuals concerned were given full legal assistance and treated in accordance with Oman’s constitution and international laws and conventions. There is no evidence of any discrimination against the Shihuh more generally, many of whom occupy senior positions in the Omani state and wider society. Our current assessment of the situation means that we see no merit in considering any action.

With regard to the use of the powers under Section 1(2)(f) of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act, the government is actively considering establishing a human rights sanctions regime to support the UK’s work in promoting and defending human rights around the world. Any potential listings would need to be consistent with the purposes of the regime and thresholds for evidence. As the sanctions regime is not yet established we are not able to provide any comment on possible designations.