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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
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 raise international awareness and promote accountability in response to reports of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and forced organ harvesting in China.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. This Government stands firm on human rights, and we raise our concerns at the highest levels. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).
This Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora. We continue to closely monitor the situation for Falun Gong practitioners and maintain a dialogue with NGOs and international partners on the issue.
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 arrest of ten pastors and co-workers affiliated with Zion's Light Church in Xi'an; and what assessment they have made of the implications of those reports on engagement with China on human rights issues, including freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Christians. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).
More broadly, this Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We 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.
We continue to do all we can to encourage freedoms for religious and cultural expression across China.
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 reply by Lord Collins of Highbury on 9 June (HL Deb col 1066), what assessment they have made of (1) reports of the discovery of 117 mass graves across Khartoum, and (2) of reports of genocide in Darfur; and what action they are taking to collect and preserve evidence to ensure that those responsible are held to account.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are shocked at the recent reports about the discovery of mass graves in Khartoum. The Foreign Secretary has stated that the UK will continue to use all tools available to hold those responsible for such atrocities to account. The most effective mechanism to support accountability in Sudan is the UN Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission. The UK led lobbying for the renewal of its mandate in October 2024, and we have already started formulating our lobbying strategy ahead of its next renewal in September. We are also using the momentum provided by the London Sudan conference to sustain pressure on the warring parties to adhere to their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2736.
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 pro-democracy actors and civil society organisations in Myanmar and among the diaspora.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK works closely with pro-democracy actors, and civil society organisations to help further peace and stability in Myanmar. This includes engaging closely with Myanmar diaspora groups and civil society organisations, including Rohingya groups, to ensure their voices are helping inform our policy. As penholder at the UN Security Council, the UK continues to ensure the international community does not forget about the people of Myanmar, and their vision for a peaceful, democratic future.