Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's statement entitled Gaza Strip: States are obliged to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide, published 21 December 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Government is aware of the report. The UK continues to call for International Humanitarian Law to be respected by Israel in their actions in Gaza and for civilians to be protected. Israel plans to act within IHL and has the ability to do so, but we are also deeply concerned about the impact on the civilian population in Gaza. We regularly review advice about Israel's capability and commitment to IHL. We act consistent with that advice, for example when considering export licenses. Too many civilians have been killed and we want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Government has sought legal advice on its responsibilities under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK acceded to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1970. The Convention provides that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or war, is a crime under international law. Whether or not a determination of genocide is made, the UK is committed to work aimed at preventing and responding to atrocity crimes (genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing) and utilises all appropriate levers to do so, including early warning and monitoring, diplomatic and multilateral engagement, development and programmatic support, and defence and law enforcement capabilities.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the International Criminal Court's resources for (a) investigations of potential genocide, war crimes and or crimes against humanity in Darfur in 2023 and (b) other investigations in the (i) 2023, (ii) 2024 and (iii) 2025 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We condemn the direct targeting of civilians and violence against specific groups in Darfur. On 13 July, the UK expressed its apprehension at the UN Security Council meeting regarding the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation on Sudan and the trajectory of the conflict in Darfur. We welcomed the ICC Prosecutor's statement that current events in Darfur are in the purview of the Court. On 9 August, at the UK's request, an open briefing on the situation in Sudan was held at the UN Security Council. The UK joined Council members in expressing our apprehension at the deteriorating humanitarian situation and called for an immediate end to hostilities. We will continue to raise human rights violations in international fora. No direct assessment have been made over the adequacy of the ICC's resources. The UK have been a consistent funder of the ICC.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Coventry (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to identify the presence of alleged Rwandan war criminals in the UK, and (2) to prosecute those who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
If a UK resident has been responsible for core international crimes anywhere in the world, they may be investigated and prosecuted in the UK.
The Metropolitan Police has national responsibility for carrying out UK police inquiries for the investigation of all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and torture. The Home Office do not hold information as to when any police investigations are likely to conclude.
All allegations of war crimes referred to the War Crimes Team are considered, assessed and dealt with in line with the War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity referral guidelines, which are jointly agreed with the Crown Prosecution Service CPS - https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/war-crimescrimes-against-humanity-referral-guidelines
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consultation his Department undertook when drafting amendments to the proposed Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes and other International Crimes.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office coordinated and agreed UK negotiating positions with other government departments in advance of and during the negotiations on the Ljubljana-The Hague Convention. UK negotiators also consulted widely during the Diplomatic Conference with delegations from other participating States and observers, including civil society representatives. Following the negotiations, the Convention was adopted by consensus on 26 May.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that amendments proposed by the Government to the Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and Other International Crimes are compatible with the Convention Against Torture.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Diplomatic Conference for the Adoption of the Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes and other International Crimes (now known as the Ljubljana-The Hague Convention) was held in Slovenia from 15-26 May. All of the 53 States which participated in the Conference are party to the UN Convention Against Torture. The Ljubljana-The Hague Convention was adopted by consensus on 26 May.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of reports that Russian soldiers are castrating Ukrainian prisoners in prisoner of war camps, what assessment they have made of whether Russian soldiers are repeatedly committing crimes against humanity.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine is marked by increasing evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Ukrainian service personnel and civilians, including executions, torture and sexual violence. We are fully committed to holding Russian forces to account for any atrocities that have been committed in Ukraine. Established accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court's investigations and Ukrainian domestic judicial processes are investigating all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The UK continues to support these independent investigations, including by establishing the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group with the US and EU to provide practical and financial support to assist the War Crimes Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has offered (a) police support, (b) legal support and (c) other technical support to the International Criminal Court to facilitate its work investigating and prosecuting genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK remains a staunch advocate for justice and supports the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. We provide assistance to the ICC in line with our obligations under Part 9 of the Rome Statute. The UK is under a duty of confidentiality in relation to specific requests for cooperation received from the Court as set out in article 87(3) of the Rome Statute. The UK has also provided further voluntary donations in response to requests from the ICC Office of the Prosecutor. Separately, outside of our work with the ICC, we are scoping potential remote monitoring mechanisms with the capacity to collect and preserve digital content pertaining to potential international crimes.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is investigating reports off mass burial sites in Mariupol.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is fully committed to holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine. Established accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court's investigations and Ukrainian domestic judicial processes are investigating all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The UK continues to support these independent investigations, including by establishing the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group with the US and EU to provide practical and financial support to assist the War Crimes Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking diplomatic steps to investigate potential mass burial sites in Mariupol.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is fully committed to holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine. Established accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court's investigations and Ukrainian domestic judicial processes are investigating all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The UK continues to support these independent investigations, including by establishing the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group with the US and EU to provide practical and financial support to assist the War Crimes Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.