Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to (1) the remarks by the Minister for Asia on 20 January (HC Deb, col 563), and (2) the judgment of the International Court of Justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro in 2007, when they last reviewed the lawfulness of their policy on genocide.

It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. Whether or not a determination of genocide is made, the UK is committed to seeking an end to serious violations of international human rights law; preventing the escalation of any such violations; and alleviating the suffering of those who are affected. The UK's position is legally robust and does not prevent us from fulfilling our legal obligations under the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute.