Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the Metropolitan Police to assist with the investigation of any Rwandan nationals living in the UK who were allegedly involved in the 1994 genocide in that country.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is responsible for the investigations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and torture. It has the specialist skills to conduct an investigations or decide that a criminal investigation is not feasible.
The Home Office has a long-standing relationship with that unit and those individuals identified in the immigration system who are suspected of being involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity, are referred to the MPS, including those who may have been involved in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkey about its obligations to prevent genocide against the Yazidi people; and what discussions they have had with the UN Security Council about referring Turkey to the International Criminal Court in respect of allegations of genocide within its territory.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to the prevention and punishment of genocide as appropriate under the Genocide Convention, to which the UK is party. 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. However, this policy does not inhibit the UK from taking robust action to address the egregious human rights abuses committed by Daesh.
We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidis, Christians, and other minorities, as well as Muslim populations in Syria and Iraq. We note the conviction in a German court on 30 November 2021 of a former Daesh fighter for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We are following this case and its review closely. We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there has been genocide of the Yazidi people at the hands of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to the prevention and punishment of genocide as appropriate under the Genocide Convention, to which the UK is party. 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. However, this policy does not inhibit the UK from taking robust action to address the egregious human rights abuses committed by Daesh.
We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidis, Christians, and other minorities, as well as Muslim populations in Syria and Iraq. We note the conviction in a German court on 30 November 2021 of a former Daesh fighter for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We are following this case and its review closely. We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Government is taking to support the Ukrainian Government with (a) investigations and (b) prosecutions of possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The Government is appalled by the atrocities being committed in Ukraine by Russian forces, including the targeting of civilians, mass graves, and rape and sexual violence being used as weapons of war. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, at the forefront of international efforts to ensure there is no impunity.
The Attorney General has an ongoing and fruitful dialogue with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova (PG), having signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with her to underline UK support for her Office’s work investigating and prosecuting crimes committed in the course of the conflict and visited the Prosecutor General in Ukraine. The Attorney and former Solicitor General hosted the PG for a two-day visit in London at the end of May. The Attorney has also appointed Sir Howard Morrison QC, one of the UK’s leading war crimes lawyers, to support her directly on her domestic investigations.
The Attorney convened a meeting of the Quintet of Attorneys General from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with Prosecutor General Venediktova. Following this meeting, we published a joint statement which makes clear our countries’ support for Ukraine’s domestics war crimes investigations and prosecutions, and our commitment to work together with the Prosecutor General and her Office to ensure every perpetrator faces justice.
The preservation and collection of evidence is vital. The UK, together with the United States and EU, has launched the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) to directly support the War Crimes Units of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (OPG) in its investigation and prosecution of conflict-related crimes. The ACA seeks to streamline coordination and communication efforts to ensure best practices, avoid duplication of efforts, and encourage the expeditious deployment of financial resources and skilled personnel to respond to the needs of the OPG as the legally constituted authority in Ukraine responsible for dealing with the prosecution of war crimes on its own territory. This shows the Government’s clear commitment to supporting Ukraine in its investigations.
The Metropolitan Police has also set up an online reporting tool for witnesses, including refugees, to submit evidence.
The UK also led the largest group referral made by States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC’s) Rome Statute to refer the atrocities in Ukraine to ICC. The ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan QC, has jurisdiction to prosecute perpetrators for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We have offered the ICC a comprehensive package of financial and technical support to ensure that leaders under President Putin and those in the field can be held to account for any war crimes in Ukraine.
We will continue to work with Ukraine, partners and international mechanisms in their investigations and to collect and preserve evidence of war crimes in Ukraine. Those responsible will be held to account.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with prosecutors at the International Criminal Court at The Hague regarding (1) investigations, and (2) potential prosecutions, of (a) President Putin, (b) other members of the Russian government, and (c) members of the Russian military, for (i) crimes of aggression, (ii) crimes against humanity, and (iii) genocide.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is for the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor to independently determine who should be prosecuted for crimes committed in Ukraine, including those that ordered them, in accordance with his mandate under the Rome Statute. The ICC does not have jurisdiction to prosecute the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine because neither Russia nor Ukraine are States party to the Rome Statute. We respect the jurisdiction of competent national or international courts, such as the ICC, to determine if the crime of genocide has occurred in Ukraine. The UK will continue to provide the necessary assistance to the ICC to support its investigations, including an additional £1 million contribution funded through the cross-Government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of the United States' determination that Myanmar's military has committed genocide against the Rohingya; what plans, if any, they have to make a similar determination; and if they have no such plans, why not.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It remains UK Government policy that any judgement on whether genocide or crimes against humanity have occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court or tribunal, after consideration of all the available evidence, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. We welcome the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) consideration of this issue, where there is an ongoing case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar for its alleged breach of the Genocide Convention. The UK supports the ICJ process which is putting pressure on Myanmar to protect the Rohingya. We provided funding to enable Rohingya refugees to attend the ICJ hearing in December 2019.
The Rohingya crisis remains a UK priority. We continue to support the humanitarian responses on both sides of the border. In Rakhine state the UK has provided over £81 million to all communities since 2017, including over £25 million for the Rohingya and other Muslim minorities for support such as nutrition and health.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the possibility of genocide committed against the Christian and Yazidi women by Daesh in Syria and Iraq.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is committed to the prevention and punishment of genocide as appropriate under the Genocide Convention, to which the UK is party. 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. This policy does not inhibit the UK from taking robust action to address the egregious human rights abuses committed by Daesh.
We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidis, Christians and other minorities, as well as Muslim populations in Syria and Iraq. We note the conviction in a German court on 30 November 2021 of a former Daesh fighter for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We are following this case and its review closely. We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.
Asked by: Marco Longhi (Conservative - Dudley North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is her Department's policy that Daesh (ISIS) crimes against Christian and Yazidi women constituted genocide.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is committed to the prevention and punishment of genocide as appropriate under the Genocide Convention, to which the UK is party. 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. This policy does not inhibit the UK from taking robust action to address the egregious human rights abuses committed by Daesh.
We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidis, Christians and other minorities, as well as Muslim populations in Syria and Iraq. We note the conviction in a German court on 30 November 2021 of a former Daesh fighter for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We are following this case and its review closely. We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court for (a) atrocity crimes, (b) war crimes, (c) crimes against humanity and (d) genocide.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is clear that there must be accountability for atrocities committed in Myanmar. We condemn the ongoing serious human rights violations by the Myanmar Armed Forces. We will continue to raise these issues on the international stage, including at the UN Security Council where we have secured four statements in the last six months. Our assessment remains that there is insufficient support amongst Security Council members for an International Criminal Court (ICC) referral at this time. It will not advance the cause of accountability for an ICC referral to fail to win Security Council support or to be vetoed; such a result would only give comfort to the Myanmar military and reduce the pressure they currently face. In November 2019, the Court authorised the Prosecutor to proceed with an investigation for the alleged crimes within the ICC's jurisdiction in the Situation in the People's Republic of Bangladesh/Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Upon review of the available information, the Court accepted that there exists a reasonable basis to believe widespread and/or systematic acts of violence may have been committed that could qualify as the crimes against humanity of deportation across the Myanmar-Bangladesh border and persecution on grounds of ethnicity and/or religion against the Rohingya population.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's use of universal jurisdiction to prosecute the crimes of (1) genocide, (2) crimes against humanity, and (3) war crimes.
Answered by Lord Stewart of Dirleton - Advocate General for Scotland
The Counter Terrorism Division within the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for prosecuting core international crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes) and applies the principle of universal jurisdiction when necessary.
Universal jurisdiction helps to ensure that the UK does not provide a safe haven for war criminals or those who commit other serious violations of international law, and the CPS will continue to bring individuals to justice wherever possible. Any decision to prosecute offences of universal jurisdiction in England and Wales is governed by the same principles that apply to any other prosecution and must be in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.