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.
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 potential implications for his Department’s policies of the Russian drone attacks against Ukraine on 17 and 18 November 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are appalled by Russia's drone attacks across Ukraine. Intentionally targeting civilians and civilian objects constitute war crimes. Those responsible will be held to account. On 16 November, the Foreign Secretary travelled to Kyiv for his first overseas visit to underline the UK's steadfast support for Ukraine against Russia's aggression. Alongside our allies we are providing Ukraine with critical air defence systems to protect civilians from Putin's barbaric bombing campaign, including the MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin, a platform which can track and destroy drones and protect critical national infrastructure.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the news release of 18 October 2023 from Human Rights Watch, entitled Israel/Palestine: Videos of Hamas-Led Attacks Verified, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of the recommendation that the attacks by Hamas-led gunmen on 7 October 2023 should be investigated as war crimes.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is for competent courts to determine if the barbaric attacks carried out by Hamas on 7 October constitute war crimes, after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. In the first instance, the Government would expect the Israeli domestic judicial system to investigate and, where appropriate, to try or extradite those accused of grave breaches of international law.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the agency's concern that Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp could amount to war crimes.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is steadfast in its position that all parties must uphold International Humanitarian Law and we call on our friends and partners to do so. Israel has the right to defend itself proportionately and its military operations must be conducted in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. All parties to a conflict must ensure that their actions are proportionate and necessary, affording innocent civilians the protection that is their right under international law. Civilians must be respected and protected. Both the Prime Minister and the former Foreign Secretary have, in their discussions with their Israeli counterparts, emphasised the importance of taking all possible measures to protect civilians. The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has stated that Israel will operate in accordance with international law. The UK Government is closely following the security situation in the Middle East and maintains a regular dialogue with international counterparts. The Foreign Secretary and his ministerial team continue to receive legal advice on all matters related to foreign policy, including the situation in Israel and Gaza. We will continue to use all the tools of British diplomacy to sustain the prospects of peace and stability in the region.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government supports Armenia's (a) membership of the ICC and (b) request for an international investigation of alleged war crimes in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We welcome Armenia's accession to the International Criminal Court. We support the Court's aim to increase membership, helping to contribute toward universal justice for the most serious crimes of international concern. We respect the independence of the Court and the Office of the Prosecutor, and any decision to open an investigation is a matter for the Court.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what recent steps she has taken to support the prosecution of alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin has opened more than 100,000 files into alleged crimes which he intends to take through the Ukrainian courts.
I remain in regular contact with Prosecutor General Kostin. Alongside UK legal experts from inside and outside government, I am supporting the work of the Office of the Prosecutor General and the International Criminal Court to ensure allegations of war crimes are fully and fairly investigated, by independent, effective and robust legal mechanisms.
The UK is also a founding member of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group, alongside the US and the EU, which works in the region with Ukraine to coordinate and provide additional support to Ukraine’s domestic prosecutions. We have also ensured to provide training and advisory support to Ukrainian judges and prosecutors across the region.
The UK is committed to ensuring that those responsible for atrocities are held to account for their actions.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
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 (a) raise awareness of and (b) commemorate the Holodomor in the UK, in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Holodomor was a horrific, man-made disaster. The UK remembers this event annually, as the Prime Minister did by lighting a candle at the Holodomor memorial in Kyiv in November 2022. Our officials in Ukraine regularly attend similar commemoration events. The UK is committed to holding to account those responsible for committing atrocities in Ukraine, by supporting the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure allegations of war crimes are fully and fairly investigated by independent and robust legal mechanisms. Since the start of the invasion we have provided £2 million in additional contributions to the ICC.
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, what recent discussions he has had (a) with his counterparts in the (i) European Commission and (ii) European Union member states, (b) with other international counterparts, (c) with the (A) African Union and (B) Intergovernmental Authority on Development and (d) with the UN Secretariat on accountability for potential war crimes committed in Ethiopia in relation to (1) the renewal of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia’s mandate at the UN Human Rights Council, (2) monitoring of all Articles of the Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and (3) in relation to monitoring and public reporting of the human rights situation by UNOHCHR officials at the level of the Human Rights Council.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We regularly raise human rights issues, including sexual and gender-based violence and media freedom, in our interactions with Ethiopian interlocutors and international partners. The UK has repeatedly called for those responsible for atrocities in Ethiopia to be held to account. The UK was strongly supportive of the establishment of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE), and the renewal of its mandate at the Human Rights Council's 51st Session. ICHREE's mandate will end at the end of the present session of the Human Rights Council as the European Union, as the penholder, did not to present a resolution to renew the mandate. The UK will continue to support efforts to promote cooperation between the Government of Ethiopia and the international community on human rights, and particularly over the robust implementation of its Transitional Justice Policy, to ensure accountability for atrocities and human rights violations and to ensure the effective and full implementation of the Tigray peace agreement.