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 UN report finding possible genocide in El Fasher in Sudan; and how they are implementing the recommendations of the Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes from 16 December 2025.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
In her speech and accompanying statement to the UN Security Council on 19 February, the Foreign Secretary set out the UK's response to the UN report on El-Fasher, other evidence of atrocities committed by the warring parties in Sudan, and how the UK is protecting civilians and humanitarian operations, as well as holding the perpetrators and profiteers of the appalling atrocities committed in Sudan to account. I will place a copy of her speech and statement in the House of Lords library.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether and when they have raised (1) potential breaches of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on freedom of religion or belief, and (2) the detention of Pastor Ezra Jin and seventeen other pastors of Zion Church, directly with the government of China or through the United Nations Human Rights Council; and what response they received.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to stand firm on human rights in China. We continue to follow developments closely in relation to the detention of Zion Church members, and we regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities. The UK remains committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law globally. To support our wider efforts, David Smith MP was appointed Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief in December 2024, and the UK hosted a Geneva event in July 2025 reaffirming the universal right to freedom of religion or belief.
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 Kyrgyzstan about the detention of journalist Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided by the Minister of State, Stephen Doughty, on 31 October 2025 in response to Question 85571, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below.
The UK regularly engages with Kyrgyzstan both bilaterally and in multilateral settings on a range of issues, including human rights matters. I raised Human rights concerns during our Strategic Dialogue in February 2025. In Kyrgyzstan's most recent UN Universal Periodic Review in April 2025, the UK raised concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression and recommended amending legislation regarding "Incitement of racial, ethnic, national, religious interregional hatred". Our Embassy in Kyrgyzstan monitors the human rights in the country and works closely with civil society organisations and multilateral partners.
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 (1) the likelihood of a new conflict in Tigray, and (2) the risk of atrocity crimes in a new conflict in that region.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government is deeply concerned about the evolving situation in Tigray and Northern Ethiopia. Recent clashes in disputed areas and reports of Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) and Tigrayan Forces preparing for conflict, contribute to an increasingly fragile and unpredictable security environment.
Any conflict would further destabilise the region and have a high risk of human rights abuses and atrocities. We engage regularly with all parties, and support efforts to implement the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, including through funding for monitoring and compliance mechanisms and support for conditions that enable the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Internally Displaced People.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in investigating and prosecuting those responsible for atrocity crimes during the 2020–22 conflict in Tigray.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
In coordination with international partners, the UK has consistently called for accountability in multilateral fora, including the Human Rights Council. The UK co-sponsored the establishment of the Independent Commission on Human Rights in Ethiopia (ICHREE) and welcomed the 2023 ICHREE report and its recommendations. The UK is financing international monitors from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and helping to strengthen the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission's ability to investigate serious abuses. We welcome the Government of Ethiopia's national Transitional Justice policy. For it to be credible, implementation must deliver meaningful justice and accountability for victims across Ethiopia, including Tigray.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether officials of the government of China informed the Prime Minister during his recent visit that Jimmy Lai would receive a 20-year prison sentence.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
No. But as I detailed in the Urgent Question debate on 9 December, the Prime Minister raised Mr Lai's case during his visit, and we are continuing to press the Chinese authorities for his release.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to ratify the convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine; and what assessment they have made of how that convention will build on the Register of Damage for Ukraine to review, assess and determine compensation for losses caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 27 February in response to Question 113024, copied below for ease of reference:
Russia must be held accountable for its illegal actions in Ukraine. The UK is a founding member of the Register of Damage and I signed the Convention to establish an International Claims Commission for Ukraine on 16 December 2025. We expect to lay the treaty before Parliament in the current parliamentary session, with further domestic steps required for ratification to follow in due course.
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 enhance relations and deepen mutual democratic links with Taiwan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK maintains a strong, unofficial relationship with Taiwan, based on shared democratic values and wide-ranging economic, cultural and people-to-people ties. We engage through regular dialogue and cooperation on trade, education, science and global challenges, and support parliamentary, academic and civil society exchanges that strengthen mutual democratic links.
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 are having, if any, with major supermarkets about the evidence and findings about production of food in the Uyghur Region in the report Forced Labor, Coercive Land-Use Transfers, and Forced Assimilation in Xinjiang’s Agricultural Production, published on 10 December 2024.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The human rights situation in China, including China's persecution of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities, remains a priority for the government. We are aware of the December 2024 report and have used these findings to inform current policy.
We are committed to tackling Uyghur forced labour in UK and global supply chains. The Government has launched the responsible business conduct review to provide a neutral, objective appraisal of UK policy to tackle forced labour. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK's current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices across UK and global supply chains, including human rights and environmental considerations.
We raise our concerns about human rights in Xinjiang at the highest levels: last month, the Prime Minister raised our concerns about Xinjiang directly with President Xi Jinping. We continue to coordinate our efforts with other international partners to hold China to account for their human rights violations.
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 report Forced Labor, Coercive Land-Use Transfers, and Forced Assimilation in Xinjiang’s Agricultural Production, published on 10 December 2024; and what action they plan to take in response to the report's findings on how state-imposed forced labour in the Uyghur Region is embedded in agricultural production and global supply chains.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The human rights situation in China, including China's persecution of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities, remains a priority for the government. We are aware of the December 2024 report and have used these findings to inform current policy.
We are committed to tackling Uyghur forced labour in UK and global supply chains. The Government has launched the responsible business conduct review to provide a neutral, objective appraisal of UK policy to tackle forced labour. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK's current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices across UK and global supply chains, including human rights and environmental considerations.
We raise our concerns about human rights in Xinjiang at the highest levels: last month, the Prime Minister raised our concerns about Xinjiang directly with President Xi Jinping. We continue to coordinate our efforts with other international partners to hold China to account for their human rights violations.