Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since July 2024 to pursue justice and accountability for Uyghurs, and what further action they will take within the next year.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghur Muslims. We continue to refer to the OHCHR's 2022 Xinjiang Assessment, which is based on independent evidence and China's own records. We raise our concerns on human rights at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts. We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations, for example, joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly in October 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure Ahmed al-Doush receives a fair trial in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
For data protection reasons, we are unable to comment publicly on the details of Mr Al-Doush's case; however, the Minister for the Middle East is following the case closely.
The UK Government is bound by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which prohibits interference in the judicial affairs of another state.
Individuals detained overseas are encouraged to seek local legal advice and raise any due process concerns with their local lawyer who is best placed to raise these with the courts. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides families with a list of local lawyers to support them with this process. Our consular staff will aim to stay in regular contact with British nationals detained overseas and where British nationals feel they are not treated in line with international standards, with their consent, the FCDO can raise concerns with the appropriate authorities.
Consular officials do not routinely attend court hearings involving British nationals. Any exceptions to this are made on a case-by-case basis and will depend on several factors including the circumstances of the case and the local context.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Ahmed al-Doush is released by the government of Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
For data protection reasons, we are unable to comment publicly on the details of Mr Al-Doush's case; however, the Minister for the Middle East is following the case closely.
The UK Government is bound by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which prohibits interference in the judicial affairs of another state.
Individuals detained overseas are encouraged to seek local legal advice and raise any due process concerns with their local lawyer who is best placed to raise these with the courts. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides families with a list of local lawyers to support them with this process. Our consular staff will aim to stay in regular contact with British nationals detained overseas and where British nationals feel they are not treated in line with international standards, with their consent, the FCDO can raise concerns with the appropriate authorities.
Consular officials do not routinely attend court hearings involving British nationals. Any exceptions to this are made on a case-by-case basis and will depend on several factors including the circumstances of the case and the local context.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will attend the trial of Ahmed al-Doush on 4 May in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
For data protection reasons, we are unable to comment publicly on the details of Mr Al-Doush's case; however, the Minister for the Middle East is following the case closely.
The UK Government is bound by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which prohibits interference in the judicial affairs of another state.
Individuals detained overseas are encouraged to seek local legal advice and raise any due process concerns with their local lawyer who is best placed to raise these with the courts. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides families with a list of local lawyers to support them with this process. Our consular staff will aim to stay in regular contact with British nationals detained overseas and where British nationals feel they are not treated in line with international standards, with their consent, the FCDO can raise concerns with the appropriate authorities.
Consular officials do not routinely attend court hearings involving British nationals. Any exceptions to this are made on a case-by-case basis and will depend on several factors including the circumstances of the case and the local context.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Pakistan regarding reports that from 31 March it intends to return to Afghanistan all undocumented refugees, including women judges whose US visas have been revoked.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware that the Government of Pakistan has announced its intention to recommence deportations in April 2025. We are closely monitoring the Government of Pakistan's policy and are working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to ensure Pakistan adheres to its international human rights obligations. We continue to raise concerns with the Government of Pakistan regarding the humanitarian implications of the deportation of Afghan refugees. The visa process and issuance of documentation to Afghan refugees is a matter for Pakistani authorities, who ultimately reserve the right to decide the eligibility criteria for applicants.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to impose targeted sanctions against the individuals responsible for the arbitrary detention of British citizen Ryan Cornelius in the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sanctions can be used to achieve a range of foreign and security policy objectives. We use sanctions when they complement other tools as part of a wider strategy. We consider designations under our sanctions regimes, including the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations, guided by the evidence and the objectives of the sanctions regime. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make a new appeal for clemency for Ryan Cornelius by the end of Ramadan, in accordance with United Arab Emirate law; and whether they plan to make a public statement in support of this plea for clemency.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister for the Middle East submitted a supporting letter alongside Mr Cornelius' clemency application to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, on 30 January ahead of the next round of pardons. The Government's support of Mr Cornelius' clemency application is already public.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of fair trial rights in the United Arab Emirates, in the light of the cases of British citizens detained there, and considering the recent UAE84 mass trial highlighted by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a strong history of protecting human rights and promoting our values globally. We continue to encourage all states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to uphold international human rights obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Ryan Cornelius’ health and treatment while in detention in the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) prioritises Mr Cornelius' welfare. Since he was first detained in 2008, FCDO consular staff in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been in regular contact with him. If Mr Cornelius has any health or welfare concerns, with his consent, we can raise these with the UAE authorities.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made, if any, on behalf of Ryan Cornelius in the ongoing negotiations for the free trade agreement between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Consular cases are not raised as part of trade negotiations. We continue to provide consular support to Ryan Cornelius.