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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Consular cases are not raised as part of trade negotiations. We continue to provide consular support to Ryan Cornelius.
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 in the light of the urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture of 12 September regarding the detention conditions of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture with respect to British national Jimmy Lai and are deeply concerned by the allegations of torture and mistreatment it makes. The Foreign Secretary raised Jimmy Lai's case in his first meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Summit on 26 July and his case remains a priority for this Government. I met with Sebastien Lai and Jimmy Lai's international legal team on Tuesday 8 October. We will continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release Jimmy Lai and we will continue to press for consular access.