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 by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab that a drone typically operated only by the Chinese army is being used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur; whether this constitutes a breach of the United Nations embargo on the sale of armaments to parties engaged in the conflict; and whether they intend to raise this with the warring parties.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains extremely concerned about reports of external support to the warring parties in Sudan, and we have repeatedly called on all international actors to end the supply of weapons, finance, and personnel, and use whatever influence they have to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.
Last year, we worked closely with international partners to secure the renewal of the long-standing UN arms embargo on Darfur. The UK will support its further renewal in September and will continue to push for the embargo to be extended to the whole of Sudan. We expect all countries to comply with their obligations under UN sanctions regimes.
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 implications for freedom of religion or belief of the new criminal court procedures issued in Afghanistan by the Taliban in January, including rules relating to corporal punishment and religious practice.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Afghanistan is a focus country for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's strategy on freedom of religion or belief, announced in July 2025, and officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans. We work with international partners to maintain collective pressure on the Taliban to reverse their oppressive restrictions, including new criminal court procedures. We continue to support the United Nations Special Rapporteur and his mandate to document human rights abuses in Afghanistan. Human rights and basic freedoms are not only a moral imperative but also essential for building a stable, inclusive and prosperous country for all Afghans. Without inclusive governance that reflects Afghanistan's religious, ethnic, gender and cultural diversity, we will never see an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Sudan to ensure that those responsible for the deaths of at least 30 people and injury of more than 60 people in drone strikes thought to have been carried out by the Rapid Support Forces in North Darfur are brought to justice.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We remain concerned about the pattern of drone warfare in Sudan including attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Co-hosting the International Sudan Conference in Berlin on 15 April, we joined other participants in calling on the warring parties to end the conflict and adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law. Previously, on 26 February, we launched the Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan, bringing together likeminded partners to press for accountability, advance justice and bolster local peacebuilding and protection efforts.
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 findings of UN Watch in its report From Watchdogs to Ideologues, published on 26 May, of a pattern of ideological bias and financial conflicts of interest relating to 13 UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteurs; and what action they intend to take in response.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to welcome the crucial role played by the United Nations' network of special rapporteurs and experts in several countries and regions around the world, as well as on specific issues of concern. However, in order to maintain the confidence of the international community in those roles, it is important that each rapporteur or expert upholds the highest standards of independence and objectivity, and we will always make clear when we believe any individual has fallen short of those standards.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the UN Watch report From Watchdogs to Ideologues on 26 May, whether they support the calls of UN Watch to create a coalition of democratic states to regularly assess, publicly rate, and hold UN experts accountable; to impose a ban on UN experts receiving earmarked funding from governments or other external entities; to establish an independent external mechanism to review, audit, and discipline mandate-holders; and to establish an independent system of external vetting of candidates by democracies.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to welcome the crucial role played by the United Nations' network of special rapporteurs and experts in several countries and regions around the world, as well as on specific issues of concern. However, in order to maintain the confidence of the international community in those roles, it is important that each rapporteur or expert upholds the highest standards of independence and objectivity, and we will always make clear when we believe any individual has fallen short of those standards.
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 compatibility of the judgment in the Maira Shahbaz case with Pakistan’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief and the rights of women and girls in Pakistan. We regularly raise concerns about the protection of religious minorities, including forced marriage and conversion, with the Government of Pakistan at senior levels, and consistently encourage it to guarantee the rights of all people in line with its international human rights commitments. We also support efforts to address these issues through our development programming, including the Aawaz II programme, which works with communities to promote the rights of women and girls, support victims, and challenge harmful practices.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan regarding the protection of girls from minority communities following the ruling in the Maira Shahbaz case in March 2026.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief and the rights of women and girls in Pakistan. We regularly raise concerns about the protection of religious minorities, including forced marriage and conversion, with the Government of Pakistan at senior levels, and consistently encourage it to guarantee the rights of all people in line with its international human rights commitments. We also support efforts to address these issues through our development programming, including the Aawaz II programme, which works with communities to promote the rights of women and girls, support victims, and challenge harmful practices.
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 Watch report, “Start with the Youngest Children” China’s Use of Preschools to “Integrate” Tibetans, published in May, on China’s suppression of the Tibetan Language in preschools and the imposition of Mandarin Chinese as the medium of instruction, as well as the requirement of all citizens to embrace Chinese national identity while excluding Tibetan Buddhist beliefs and cultural practices; and whether they will raise this report with the relevant United Nations agencies.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Reports of human rights violations in Tibet are deeply concerning. This Government stands firm on human rights, including against China's repression of the people of Tibet, and we continue to raise our concerns at the highest levels; the Prime Minister raised Tibet during his meeting with Xi Jinping in January.
We champion the right to freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, including Tibetan Buddhists, across a wide range of international fora; the UK's Human Rights Ambassador raised our concerns around restrictions in Tibet at the UN Human Rights Council on 16 March.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made at the United Nations Human Rights Council about renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, including in relation to violations of freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government consistently raises human rights and freedom of religion or belief, both directly with the Eritrean Government, and in our statements at the UN Human Rights Council. We also call for all those unjustly incarcerated to be released.
The UK's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea raised these issues during her most recent visit to Eritrea in December 2025, and the UK supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, co-sponsoring the resolution that renewed his mandate in July 2025.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Chinese ambassador following the convictions of Chi Leung Wai and Chung Biu Yuen.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
On instruction from the Foreign Secretary, the Chinese Ambassador was summoned to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 8 May. It was made clear that the UK will not tolerate any attempts by foreign states to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK, and that such activity constitutes a serious breach of the UK's sovereignty. We will continue to use the full range of tools available to protect our security and hold China to account for actions which undermine our safety and democratic values.