Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in China on the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The environment for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) across China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The British government works with international organisations and networks to promote and protect the freedom of religion or belief for all where it is threatened, including through the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance. The Foreign Secretary set out his concerns about human rights violations in China during his introductory call with China's Foreign Minister on 5 December 2023.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what (a) information his Department holds on and (b) steps his Department is taking to help tackle the (i) abduction and (ii) forced conversion of Christian girls and women in Pakistan.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Protecting women's rights is central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. The UK funded Accountability, Inclusion and Modern Slavery programme works to address gender-based violence by raising awareness of early and forced marriages. Our online hate speech programme is helping to make digital spaces safer for women. The UK will continue to support civil society and NGOs in lobbying the Government of Pakistan to honour its international commitments on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and women's rights.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of anti-Christian sentiment in Laos.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to promoting and defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), as demonstrated by our hosting the 'International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief' in July 2022. We also work through the UN to promote and protect these rights. The UK Embassy in Laos raises concerns about limitations on freedom of expression and other human rights issues, including freedom of religion, on a regular basis, both publicly and in private and last did this on 10 January 2024. I visited Laos in September 2023 and raised our concern over particular human rights cases with Laos Ministers. We also raise country specific human rights issues at the UN Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help promote the freedom of religion or belief in Nicaragua.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We share widespread international concern about the suppression of human rights in Nicaragua, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. In June 2023, in her capacity as Chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy, Fiona Bruce MP, issued an international statement condemning the continued persecution of the Catholic Church by the Nicaraguan Government. In my tweet on 16 January, I also condemned the detention of Catholic priests by the Nicaraguan Government. We continue to work with international partners to put pressure on the Ortega regime to re-establish democratic and other essential freedoms in Nicaragua.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage UK ambassadors to consider the importance of engaging with local civil society organisations on issues of fundamental human rights, and especially of freedom of belief and religion.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our global diplomatic network works in partnership with civil society and human rights defenders to encourage all states to protect and advance human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Our Annual Human Rights and Democracy Reports are an important part of this work.
FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. Fiona Bruce MP, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB works actively to raise awareness of FoRB issues in relevant countries, including by chairing a series of roundtables, bringing together civil society experts and FCDO officials.
In addition, the FCDO International Academy's "Religion for International Engagement" training is essential for FCDO officials in relevant posts and highly recommended for all FCDO staff.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to promote freedom of religion and belief in other countries.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We continue to ensure that freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is central to our human rights and wider work. Our International Development White Paper published in November includes a commitment to prioritise FoRB in our bilateral and multilateral work.
We work with UN, G7, and other multilateral fora to promote FoRB. In June this year, the UN Security Council adopted, unanimously, a UK-United Arab Emirates (UAE) co-penned resolution on Tolerance and International Peace and Security, which contained language on FoRB. Bilaterally, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and do not shy away from challenging those we believe are not meeting their obligations, whether publicly or in private.
This year, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP served a second consecutive year as Chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, a network of 42 countries committed to the promotion and protection of FoRB.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights violations against Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians in Belarus, as detailed in the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s report Country Update: Belarus, published on 5 December.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to work on holding the Belarus regime accountable for its actions. This includes the work of the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, which the UK, EU and individual EU Member States established in 2021. The UK's foremost priority on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is defending these rights for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. The British Embassy in Minsk continues to show its support for these freedoms and engages with religious groups in Belarus.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s report on National Level Anti-Conversion Laws Around the World, published on 28 November.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Promoting the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a top priority for the UK.
The UK welcomes the recent report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. We note its findings documenting anti-conversion laws, as we monitor the situation for religious and non-religious communities globally.
We have made our position clear: no one should be forced to denounce their beliefs or be discriminated against because of their religion or belief. In 2022, we sanctioned Mian Abdul Haq, a cleric responsible for the forced conversions of girls and women in Pakistan. The UK continue to work multilaterally and bilaterally to promote FoRB, and hold those accountable for human rights violations and abuses.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of threats to freedom of religion or belief in Hong Kong, following the recent report published by Hong Kong Watch, Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to protecting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. We continue to monitor FoRB in Hong Kong through our regular Six-monthly Reports to Parliament and interactions with local faith leaders. In our latest report, published on 19 September, we noted religious practice is generally not restricted in Hong Kong, with a variety of religious practices coexisting across the territory. However, it is clear many of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong's Basic Law are being curtailed under the guise of national security. China's imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong represents a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. In line with the UN Human Rights Council recommendation in its International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights report on Hong Kong, we urge the Chinese authorities to repeal the law.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 implications for (a) his policies on Hong Kong and (b) freedom of religion or belief of the campaign of sinicisation of religion.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to protecting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and freedom globally. We continue to monitor FoRB in Hong Kong through our regular Six-monthly Reports to Parliament and interactions with local faith leaders. In our latest report, published on 19 September, we noted religious practice is generally not restricted in Hong Kong, with a variety of religious practices coexisting across the territory. However, it is clear many of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong's Basic Law are being curtailed under the guise of national security. China's imposition of the National Security Law (NSL) in Hong Kong represents a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The Foreign Secretary raised our concerns regarding the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 5 December. In line with the UN Human Rights Council recommendation in its International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights report on Hong Kong, we urge the Chinese authorities to repeal the NSL.