Ryan Cornelius

(asked on 20th June 2025) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his counterpart in the UAE on the detention of Ryan Cornelius.


Answered by
Hamish Falconer Portrait
Hamish Falconer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 1st July 2025

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers regularly raise consular cases with their foreign counterparts. The Foreign Secretary last discussed Ryan Cornelius' case with the UAE Foreign Minister in December 2024. The FCDO takes the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's opinions seriously. While their recommendations are not legally binding, we will continue to highlight their concerns in discussions with UAE authorities. The FCDO are providing Mr Cornelius with consular assistance, and we take any reports of human rights violations, including coercion and poor prison conditions very seriously and, with the consent of Mr Cornelius, will raise any concerns with local authorities.

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