Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the investigation and prosecution of any person in the United Kingdom who is suspected of being responsible for torture or inhuman treatment of Palestinian detainees since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The War Crimes Team at the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command are responsible for the investigation of allegations of Core International Crimes CIC). The Counter Terrorism Division within the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for the review and prosecution of CIC.
The CPS will consider any information that is referred by the police and any decision to prosecute will be considered on a case-by case basis and in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
The CPS has also published War Crimes/Crimes Against Humanity Referral Guidelines in regard to the investigation and prosecution of allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and torture (Core International Crimes), in order to enable the process for investigations, arrests and prosecutions to be conducted in an orderly and transparent way.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team have been tasked (1) to secure and preserve admissible evidence of torture or inhuman treatment of Palestinian detainees since 7 October 2023, (2) to assess potential command responsibility, and (3) to issue guidance to immigration and border officials in connection with any person present in the UK who is reasonably suspected of responsibility for torture or inhuman treatment of Palestinian detainees, consistent with Articles 5–7 of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the UK’s non-refoulement obligations under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The War Crimes Team at the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command are responsible for the investigation of allegations of Core International Crimes CIC). The Counter Terrorism Division within the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for the review and prosecution of CIC.
The CPS will consider any information that is referred by the police and any decision to prosecute will be considered on a case-by case basis and in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
The CPS has also published War Crimes/Crimes Against Humanity Referral Guidelines in regard to the investigation and prosecution of allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and torture (Core International Crimes), in order to enable the process for investigations, arrests and prosecutions to be conducted in an orderly and transparent way.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage the United Nations Security Council (1) to refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court, or (2) to establish an ad hoc international criminal tribunal to investigate genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in that country.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK acknowledges the report and shares its concerns regarding human rights violations in Myanmar. We condemn the Myanmar military's airstrikes on civilian infrastructure. The UK is clear that no country should provide arms, funds, or fuel to the Myanmar military. We have implemented 19 sanctions packages since 2021, including 10 targeting aviation fuel imports.
We are clear that there must be accountability for the atrocities committed in Myanmar. The UK has provided £900,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar since 2021 and established the Myanmar Witness program to collect evidence of human rights violations. As penholder on Myanmar at the UN Security Council, we have convened four meetings this year to maintain international focus and press for accountability. We co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution in April and coordinated a joint statement in May calling for an end to violence.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on the provision of potential evidence possessed by the Government of (a) genocide, (b) war crimes, (c) crimes against humanity and (d) crimes of aggression to the International Criminal Court (i) where the evidence is relevant to an ongoing case before the ICC and (ii) in other circumstances.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Support for international criminal justice and accountability is a fundamental element of our foreign policy. The International Criminal Court is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. We strongly support its work and endeavour to cooperate with the Court wherever possible.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what information they have about the five Rwandan genocide suspects named in an extradition judgment and currently living in the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer Lord Mendelsohn to UIN 249920 and UIN HL787, where similar questions were posed.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) War Crimes Unit is a dedicated specialist unit which investigates and prosecutes people living in the UK suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in line with universal jurisdiction and the CPS Counter Terrorism Division has the responsibility for prosecuting such crimes. Criminal investigations are an operational matter for law-enforcement agencies, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further.
I would invite Lord Mendelsohn to consider referring the second part of the question to the Attorney General and the Metropolitan Police for a response.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are willing to draw to the attention and seek the response of the International Criminal Court regarding the involvement of North Korean soldiers in Russia's war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide, during its war against Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's deployment of its troops to the Russian Federation to support Russia's unlawful war of aggression in Ukraine, as the Foreign Secretary made clear in the joint statement he issued on 22 October with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea Cho Tae-yul.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor opened an investigation into the situation in Ukraine in March 2022. This includes any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person from 21 November 2013 onwards. The Prosecutor's investigations are fully independent, and the UK will respond to any requests from the ICC for co-operation with its investigations through the appropriate channels.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Foreign Secretary intends to take steps to ensure that China's actions against Uyghurs is recognised as genocide through international courts and by working with international partners, in accordance with his remarks in March 2023.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether crimes against humanity or 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.
Regardless of any court's decision, this Government will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang. This includes raising our concerns at the highest levels of the Chinese government, and coordinating efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they recognise the treatment of Uyghur Muslims by the government of China as genocide.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether crimes against humanity or 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.
Regardless of any court's decision, this Government will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang. This includes raising our concerns at the highest levels of the Chinese government, and coordinating efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
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 his policies of the New Lines Institute’s publication entitled Genocide in Tigray: Serious Breaches of International Law in the Tigray Conflict, Ethiopia, and the Paths to Accountability.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The 'Genocide in Tigray' report by the New Lines Institute has drawn attention to the conduct of actors during the conflict of 2020-2022. The report is consistent with UN investigations which concluded that all sides committed major human rights violations and abuses, some of which might amount to crimes against humanity. UK policy is that genocide can only be determined by a credible international court. The UK has consistently called for accountability for victims of the conflict in northern Ethiopia and is supporting Ethiopia's transitional justice efforts, including by working with national human rights organisations to enhance evidence collection that could support criminal procedures.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 13 September 2024 (HL Deb cols 1811–16), what steps they are taking (1) to pursue accountability for ongoing atrocities and other violations of international human rights law in Sudan; (2) to support the International Criminal Court (ICC) with its ongoing Darfur investigations; and (3) to ensure that the ICC has the financial resources needed in its regular budget to carry out its mandate (a) in Darfur and (b) across its docket.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In October 2023, the Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led resolution to establish an international and Independent Fact-Finding Mission to investigate evidence of human rights abuses and violations in Sudan. Following publication of its first report in September, the UK co-led renewal on 9 October 2024 of the Fact-Finding Mission's mandate for a further year, with the Resolution passing by a higher vote margin this year. The UK continues to support the work of the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) to gather open-source evidence on the ongoing fighting, with a view to supporting future accountability efforts. We continue to support the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor's ongoing work to investigate the allegations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. Our practical support to the ICC more broadly includes witness protection; sentence enforcement; commitment to the ICC's reform process; and work to ensure that the Court has the resources it needs to operate effectively.