Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department is taking steps through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict initiative to help support Ukrainian officials to investigate alleged acts of sexual violence by Russian forces since 2022.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK is working with Ukrainian authorities to hold those responsible for gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, in Ukraine to account. The UK has committed up to £6.2 million to enhance Ukraine's domestic capacity for war crimes investigations and to help embed international guidelines and best practice into the work of Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators, including on survivor-centred approaches. This assistance has been largely delivered through projects via the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine, established with the US and EU, and deployments of UK experts, including the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Team of Experts.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 support international efforts to ensure accountability for those responsible for (a) potential war crimes and (b) other atrocity crimes in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We welcome the report of 23 February by the High Commissioner for Human Rights and his Expert, Radhoune Nouicer, on the situation in Sudan. The report details multiple atrocities committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces. We continue to take a leading role in supporting processes for justice and accountability in Sudan. In October 2023, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led Sudan Core Group resolution to establish an independent and international Fact-Finding Mission. This will support future accountability efforts in Sudan. The UK is also funding open-source investigation experts to use satellite and social media to verify and preserve information relating to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with the Metropolitan Police on seeking evidence of war crimes committed in Israel on 7 October 2023.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) has national responsibility in the UK for investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity and this is carried out by the War Crimes Team (WCT). There is an ongoing operation to identify, capture and triage evidence in support of investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other relevant jurisdictions regarding possible war crimes, crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine since 21st November 2013. The Home Secretary regularly discusses priority security issues with CTP, including War Crimes investigations relating to the war in Ukraine [most recently in January 2024].
To gather evidence of war crimes, the Metropolitan Police SO15 War Crimes Team has worked with Ukrainian Community Groups in the UK, completing a number of appeals for witnesses through traditional and digital media platforms. The UK has embedded a dedicated Met Police liaison officer in The Hague to facilitate information sharing from the UK to the ICC.
The Home Office continues to support the work of the International Criminal Court to ensure allegations of war crimes are fully and fairly investigated, by independent, effective and robust legal mechanisms.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with the Metropolitan Police on their role in gathering of evidence of war crimes in Ukraine.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) has national responsibility in the UK for investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity and this is carried out by the War Crimes Team (WCT). There is an ongoing operation to identify, capture and triage evidence in support of investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other relevant jurisdictions regarding possible war crimes, crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine since 21st November 2013. The Home Secretary regularly discusses priority security issues with CTP, including War Crimes investigations relating to the war in Ukraine [most recently in January 2024].
To gather evidence of war crimes, the Metropolitan Police SO15 War Crimes Team has worked with Ukrainian Community Groups in the UK, completing a number of appeals for witnesses through traditional and digital media platforms. The UK has embedded a dedicated Met Police liaison officer in The Hague to facilitate information sharing from the UK to the ICC.
The Home Office continues to support the work of the International Criminal Court to ensure allegations of war crimes are fully and fairly investigated, by independent, effective and robust legal mechanisms.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on the use of posters in UK airports requesting information on alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police are operationally independent and should remain so.
The Home Secretary meets with the Met Police Commander to discuss a range of issues.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough)
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 Israeli counterpart on Israel's obligations under the Genocide Convention including the duties in relation to incitement in the context of the war in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
UK ministers, including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, maintain a regular dialogue with Israeli counterparts on a range of issues relating to the conflict including adherence to International Humanitarian Law. The Government continues to press Israel on the need to ensure its campaign is targeted against Hamas fighters and military objectives and its actions are in-line with IHL. The Government has also made clear that the Israeli Government must investigate war crimes allegedly committed by their nationals or armed forces.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what factual conclusions they have reached about the use of rape and sexual violence against women as a weapon of war during the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October; what further steps they will take at the United Nations to raise the issue of the use of rape and sexual violence against women in conflict; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to ensure that the perpetrators of such violence are brought to justice for war crimes at the International Criminal Tribunal.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The reports of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli women and girls and other civilians are horrifying. We unequivocally condemn sexual violence in Israel and wherever it occurs in the world. Conflict-related sexual violence is an abuse of human rights and when perpetrated in the context of an armed conflict, can constitute a violation of international humanitarian law such as a war crime. We are regularly engaging with partners, including the UN, on this issue to urge that all reports of gender-based violence are rigorously and independently investigated and that perpetrators are held to account, to ensure justice for victims.
The UK is committed to strengthening the global response to conflict-related sexual violence. Our Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) strategy, launched in 2022, sets out the work we are leading globally to prevent Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and strengthen justice for all survivors. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon gave a statement on 15 December regarding the reports of sexual violence by Hamas, calling for them to be fully investigated to ensure justice for survivors and victims.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if his Department will make an assessment of whether parties to the Israel-Hamas conflict have committed (a) war crimes and (b) other breaches of international law.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is a strong supporter of international justice and the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC). As an independent organisation, it is for the ICC Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan to decide upon the focus of his investigations. The UK continues to call for International Humanitarian Law to be respected and civilians to be protected.
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: 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 reports of atrocities, including ethnic cleansing and gender-based violence against women, across Sudan in recent months.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has consistently denounced all human rights violations that have taken place since the military coup on 25 October 2021, including the escalation in incidents since 15 April 2023. We condemn the ongoing attacks on innocent civilians by militias, particularly the Rapid Support Forces; this violence has all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing. The UK, alongside the Troika (US & Norway), issued a joint statement on 17 November condemning the reported mass killings including ethnic targeting of non-Arab and other communities, killings of traditional leaders, unjust detentions, and obstruction of humanitarian aid. We continue to denounce conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Sudan including at the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council, and in a joint statement in July, alongside 15 other members, by the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. The UK has enhanced its atrocity risk monitoring, including the monitoring of CRSV. The October UN Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' resolution to establish a Fact-Finding Mission to ensure that credible allegations of human rights investigated impartially to support future accountability efforts.