Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what economic and other forms of leverage they have considered using in their efforts to encourage respect for Article 18 of the UNDHR for freedom of religion of belief in China.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights in every meeting with his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including during his recent visit to China on 18 October.
More broadly, this Government will champion freedom of religion or belief for all internationally. We will work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our positions at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and through bilateral engagement.
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 assist with the restoration of peace in Burkina Faso following recent mass attacks on civilians, including religious minorities, and to identify the role played by Jihadist ideology.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has invested in the UK's capacity to monitor atrocities and instability in Burkina Faso, including mass attacks on civilians committed by violent extremist organisations and other actors. The root causes of violence in Burkina Faso are complex: as well as having a basis in religious extremist ideology, Islamic extremist groups have proliferated in the Sahel region due to contested governance, gender and social exclusion, limited economic opportunity and competition over land and natural resources.
The UK remains committed to funding overseas development aid to address the drivers of conflict and reduce the influence of violent extremist organisations in the region, including through providing over £142 million in bilateral overseas development aid to the Sahel this financial year.
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 statement by the US Secretary of State that 8,000 North Korean soldiers will join the frontline in Ukraine in the coming days; and how is this affecting the level of support granted by the UK to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We should all be concerned about the implications of deepening Russia-DPRK military cooperation for Europe, the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region, and the wider world. Our Defence Intelligence has confirmed that 10,000 North Korean troops have arrived in Russia, with a significant proportion heading to fight for Putin in Kursk. A DPRK with improved military technology and enhanced capacity to export weapons could fuel instability in vulnerable conflict areas around the world. Together with our partners, we are closely monitoring the situation and its implications. The UK's support for Ukraine is ironclad. The UK has provided £12.8 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine since 2022.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are willing to draw to the attention and seek the response of the International Criminal Court regarding the involvement of North Korean soldiers in Russia's war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide, during its war against Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's deployment of its troops to the Russian Federation to support Russia's unlawful war of aggression in Ukraine, as the Foreign Secretary made clear in the joint statement he issued on 22 October with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea Cho Tae-yul.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor opened an investigation into the situation in Ukraine in March 2022. This includes any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person from 21 November 2013 onwards. The Prosecutor's investigations are fully independent, and the UK will respond to any requests from the ICC for co-operation with its investigations through the appropriate channels.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 30 October (HL Deb col 1116), whether they plan to make Jimmy Lai’s release from prison in Hong Kong and his safe passage to the UK a precondition of any resumption of investment talks with the authorities in Hong Kong.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jimmy Lai's case remains a priority for the Government. We continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai and immediately release Mr Lai. In a recent visit to Beijing, the Foreign Secretary met with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing and called for Mr Lai's release.
This government seeks to engage with Hong Kong authorities to pursue UK interests, while defending the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. We will support UK business to engage with China, including Hong Kong, while being open-eyed to any risks and ensuring security and resilience.
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 China regarding the continuing persecution of the 10 Catholic bishops detained in that country.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The environment for freedom of religion or belief across China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Catholic Bishops.
This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. The Foreign Secretary has raised human rights with his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including during his recent visit to China on 18 October.
More broadly, this Government will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We will work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.
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 the new promulgated rules in Afghanistan by the Taliban forbidding women from listening to other women’s voices; and when they last raised the topic of gender apartheid and the rights of women in Afghanistan in the UN Human Rights Council and at the General Assembly.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights internationally, most recently in statements at the UN General Assembly on 8 October and at the UN Human Rights Council on 9 October. Officials have directly pressed the Taliban to reverse their repressive 'vice and virtue' law and that we consider it to be a grotesque backwards-step.
We are aware of calls for the inclusion of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Afghanistan attended an event in Parliament on this on 29 October. There are complex legal and political questions associated with gender apartheid and we will take these into account when forming our position.
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 Pakistan about increasing military cooperation and industrial collaboration between Pakistan and Russia, including the recent visit to Pakistan by a high-level Russian delegation led by the Deputy Defence Minister.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK respects Pakistan's right to choose its own international partners. The Foreign Secretary raised UK concerns relating to Russia's illegal war in Ukraine with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar of Pakistan at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on 25 October 2024. President Putin's invasion of Ukraine is a serious violation of the UN Charter and we are clear that engagements with the Russian Government should not be treated as business as usual. We continue to discuss global peace and security with Pakistan at Ministerial and official levels.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following recent attacks on Ahmadi Muslim mosques and the desecration of graves in Pakistan, in which police are reported to have been involved, what steps they are taking to urge the government of that country to protect such mosques’ graves and uphold its obligations under international human rights law.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are aware of reports of the desecration of Ahmadi mosques and graves in Pakistan. The UK strongly condemns all instances of hate or violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims and other marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. The Minister for Afghanistan and Pakistan underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when he met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 4 September. On 28 October, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan raised concerns around threats of violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan with the Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Alongside our diplomatic engagement, we continue to support projects promoting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan, including facilitating interfaith dialogue and protecting marginalised communities from hate speech online.
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 support calls for accountability for atrocity crimes in Myanmar by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and what steps they are taking to support the case brought by The Gambia in the International Court of Justice against Myanmar for alleged breaches of the Genocide Convention committed against the Rohingya people.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns all human rights abuses in Myanmar. There must be accountability for the atrocities committed. In May, the UK coordinated a statement with partners calling for an immediate end to violence from all sides in Myanmar. In July 2024, the UK's joint declaration of intervention, together with Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, was accepted by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case alleging Myanmar has perpetrated genocide against the Rohingya. The UK has provided £800,000 to the UN's Independent Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) and established the Myanmar Witness programme to gather and preserve evidence of human rights violations in support of future prosecutions.