Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to harmonise sanctions against Belarus with those imposed on Russia; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such harmonisation on (a) the protection of human rights, (b) support for political prisoners and (c) other UK foreign policy objectives in Belarus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has sanctioned over 200 Belarusian individuals and entities to date, in response to both human rights abuses in Belarus, and the Lukashenko regime's support for Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There are also a range of broad UK sanctions measures in place in Belarus, targeting goods and technologies. We keep further sanctions against Belarus under review.
Sanctions are just one of the tools we use. Alongside our partners and multilateral organisations, the UK consistently calls for human rights abuses to be investigated and for the release of all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally. In August 2024, the UK announced £2.5 million of funding to support the survival of Belarusian human rights and civil society causes in the face of continued political pressure.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission research into the (a) role of (i) Russia (ii) Belarus (iii) Iran (iv) China and (v) Yemen in the migration of people and (b) potential impact of that migration on national security.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Tackling irregular migration is a key focus for this government and we regularly research and review the drivers behind it to inform our response. National security, including security at our border, is of the highest importance which is why the Border Security Command was launched and works with colleagues across government and with a range of international partners to disrupt the activity of criminal smuggling gangs.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for UK foreign policy of potential irregularities in the recent elections in Belarus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the sham presidential election in Belarus on 26 January. In a joint statement alongside Australia, Canada, the EU and New Zealand, the UK denounced the election and called for fresh elections which meet international standards.
The UK will continue to work with likeminded partners to call out the regime's violations of fundamental human rights and hold those responsible to account.
We, alongside our partners, will continue to support civil society and human rights in the face of ongoing political pressure and support the aspirations of the Belarusian people for a free, democratic, and independent Belarus.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Belarusian counterpart on the release of political prisoners.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Despite the pardoning of over 250 political prisoners since July 2024, arrests and political repression continue and more than 1,200 political prisoners remain unjustly detained.
We continue to take every opportunity, both publicly and privately, to urge the Belarusian regime to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners and protect the human rights of its citizens. This includes actively raising the issue of political prisoners at the UN and the OSCE.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sanctions relating to (a) finance, (b) trade, (c) aircraft, (d) shipping and (e) immigration on Belarus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sanctions are carefully targeted to increase pressure over time, and we regularly review our sanctions to maintain effectiveness and apply increasing pressure. We therefore reserve the right to introduce further measures so that the Lukashenko regime continues to feel the consequences for its lack of respect for human rights and support for Putin's war.
Although the UK nexus with the Belarusian economy is limited, the signalling impact of our sanctions on Belarus is and will remain important.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22001 on Belarus: Sanctions, what the terms of reference are for the cross-Government review of sanctions enforcement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I launched the cross-Government review of sanctions at the first Small Ministerial Group on enforcement in October. The review is examining whether we have the right powers, approach, capacity and resourcing on policy, implementation and enforcement, with an urgent focus on strengthening the latter. The objectives are to make our sanctions easier to comply with, increase the deterrent effect of enforcement and maximise the flexibility of our cross-government toolkit. It is being led by the FCDO in collaboration with key sanctions Departments and is expected to conclude in Spring 2025.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22001 on Belarus: Sanctions, what the timescale is for completing the cross-Government review of sanctions enforcement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I launched the cross-Government review of sanctions at the first Small Ministerial Group on enforcement in October. The review is examining whether we have the right powers, approach, capacity and resourcing on policy, implementation and enforcement, with an urgent focus on strengthening the latter. The objectives are to make our sanctions easier to comply with, increase the deterrent effect of enforcement and maximise the flexibility of our cross-government toolkit. It is being led by the FCDO in collaboration with key sanctions Departments and is expected to conclude in Spring 2025.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22001 on Belarus: Sanctions, who has been appointed to lead the cross-Government review of sanctions enforcement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I launched the cross-Government review of sanctions at the first Small Ministerial Group on enforcement in October. The review is examining whether we have the right powers, approach, capacity and resourcing on policy, implementation and enforcement, with an urgent focus on strengthening the latter. The objectives are to make our sanctions easier to comply with, increase the deterrent effect of enforcement and maximise the flexibility of our cross-government toolkit. It is being led by the FCDO in collaboration with key sanctions Departments and is expected to conclude in Spring 2025.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing persecution of religious minorities and Catholic clergy in Belarus, including the sentencing of Father Henrykh Akalatovich; and what steps they are taking to support freedom of religion or belief in Belarus through diplomatic or international channels.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK champions freedom of religion or belief around the world. We closely monitor human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, in Belarus and condemn the sentencing of Father Henrykh Akalatovich in a closed-door trial. We work with likeminded partners to raise the human rights situation with the Belarusian authorities and demand the release of political prisoners. Our Embassy in Minsk demonstrates UK solidarity with political prisoners using social media campaigns to highlight ongoing human rights violations, including discrimination based on religion or belief.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19314 on Belarus: Sanctions, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of sanction avoidance by Belarus in alcohol (a) imports and (b) exports.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to working with partners to hold the Lukashenko regime to account for its lack of respect for human rights and support for Putin's illegal war. That includes ensuring our sanctions are as effective as possible. That is why we have legislated to strengthen our sanctions enforcement powers, with the formal launch of the new Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, and launched a cross-Government review of sanctions enforcement to ensure we have the right powers, approach and resourcing. We are also coordinating closely with G7 partners on our efforts to tackle circumvention risks across priority countries, ranging from technical support to diplomatic engagement at all levels.