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 Syria and international partners following the attack at Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church on 22 June; what assessment they have made of the implications of this attack for religious freedom in Syria; and what steps they are taking to support accountability and the safeguarding of religious minorities in Syria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns the horrific terrorist attack at Mar Elias Church and remains committed to combatting terrorism. The Minister for the Middle East sent a personal message to Syrian Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani, expressing condolences and the UK's continued support. On 25 June our Special Representative for Syria visited Damascus and discussed the assessment of the situation with the Foreign Minister. We will continue to underline the importance of an inclusive political transition and protection of the rights of all Syrians, as well as advocate for the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief for all.
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 Myanmar to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the restoration of democracy in Myanmar.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to call for the release of those arbitrarily detained in Myanmar both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. On 19th June, to mark Aung San Suu Kyi's 80th birthday, the Minister for the Indo-Pacific called for her release and for all those arbitrarily detained. On 1st February, the Foreign Secretary called for Aung San Suu Kyi's release and all those arbitrarily detained. In April, we co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Myanmar, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those who have been arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what diplomatic and multilateral steps they are taking to ensure the release of all political prisoners in Myanmar, including individuals detained for exercising their rights to freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to call for the release of those arbitrarily detained in Myanmar both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. On 1st February, the Foreign Secretary called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all those arbitrarily detained. In April, we co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Myanmar, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those who have been arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
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 recent attacks on churches in El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces; what steps they are taking to ensure those responsible are held accountable under international humanitarian and human rights law; and what support they are providing to those affected by the conflict in Sudan, including internally displaced people in El Fasher, and religious minorities.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the reported bombing of churches in El Fasher, North Darfur, which killed and injured multiple people. We will continue to recognise the issue of Christian persecution globally, alongside the persecution of other individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. The UK is using its position as penholder at the UN Security Council and leader of the core group on Sudan at the Human Rights Council to keep a spotlight on, and take actions in response to, the human rights situation in Sudan. Our Special Envoy for freedom of religion or belief, David Smith, made a statement at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 4 March, highlighting our concerns regarding the coercion of non-Muslims in Sudan to change their beliefs through denial of work, food aid, and education. We are providing support to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to enable their human rights monitoring and reporting, and in October 2024, led the renewal of the UN Fact Finding Mission's investigative mandate on Sudan. The UK also strongly supports the International Criminal Court's active investigation into the situation in Darfur, including allegations of crimes committed since April 2023. At the London Sudan conference, the Foreign Secretary announced £120 million which will deliver life-saving services to more than 650,000 people, including North Darfur.
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 Saudi Arabia about the execution of Turki al-Jasser, and about the reported increase in executions, including for non-violent offences.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No aspect of our relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly about human rights and officials in our Embassy in Riyadh have raised Turki Al-Jasser's case with the Saudi authorities. The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances.
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 recent reports of a large-scale killing targeting the Christian community in Benue State in Nigeria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The motivations of the perpetrators behind these violent and shocking attacks are not fully known. There is no current evidence to suggest that the victims in the recent attacks in Benue state were targeted because of their religion. Whilst religious identity can play a role, farmer-herder conflicts are common in Nigeria with disputes often based on the loss of economic opportunity, historical grievances connected to competition over land and natural resources and disruption to traditional livelihoods created by environmental degradation.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote peace-building, inclusive local governance and religious freedom across Myanmar’s diverse ethnic and religious landscape.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK supports the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and UN Special Envoys' efforts to seek stability and peace in Myanmar, including for ethnic and religious minorities. The Minister for Indo-Pacific met the UN Special Envoy, Julie Bishop, on 13 June and reiterated our support for the Myanmar people, including Rohingya.
We continue to discuss the political and humanitarian situation in Myanmar with a range of opposition stakeholders, including the National Unity Government (NUG) and a number of Ethnic Resistance Organisations (ERO).
Furthermore, UK Aid continue to support the role of civil society to promote peace and stability in Myanmar.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to verify reports that the killing of 200 people in Benue was "highly organised", to establish who was responsible, and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Through the Strengthening Peace and Resilience Programme (SPRiNG) programme, the UK continues to support initiatives to enhance the capacity of state institutions and community groups to arrest and prosecute perpetrators. This includes partnering with the Kukah Centre to strengthen the capacity of the Benue Civil Protection Guard. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP), we are working with Nigeria's security forces to tackle insecurity and violence against civilian communities, including those of different religious backgrounds and belief systems. At the last UK-Nigeria SDP dialogue in February 2024, the UK welcomed a commitment from Nigeria on timely, effective and human rights compliant investigations of, and prosecutions for, terrorism crimes. Investigating and prosecuting those responsible for the attack in Benue is a matter for the Nigerian authorities.
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 government of Nigeria about the large-scale killing targeting the Christian community in Benue State in Nigeria on 13 June.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government has not yet had any conversations about the violent attacks on 13 June. However, on 10 June, UK officials met with the member of the House of Representatives for a constituency in Benue State to discuss the root causes of insecurity in Benue state. In addition, the UK regularly engages with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), and the Office of Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) on conflict in Nigeria's middle belt. During my visit to Nigeria between 28-30 May, I raised Freedom of Religion and Belief and the root causes of insecurity in discussions with Nigerian counterparts, including the Foreign Minister and Deputy Speaker.
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 that the government of Sudan used chemical weapons in 2024; and what are the implications for their Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability assessment of the situation in Sudan, and their planned response to the situation in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement on 23 May that any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable. It is imperative that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) engage constructively with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in order to facilitate a thorough and impartial investigation. We expect the SAF to abide by its obligations under the Chemical Weapon Convention not to develop, produce, possess, or use chemical weapons.
The recent US determination that the SAF have used chemical weapons does not automatically trigger an update to our Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) assessment on Sudan. The JACS process is triggered following specialist technical advice that new or updated joint analysis is needed for a particular country; it is context-dependent.