Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - 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 in China following the introduction of China’s “Measures for the Administration of Religious Activity Venues” in 2023, which require religious leaders and venues to demonstrate loyalty to the Communist Party.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Chinese regulations on religious activity severely restrict religious and cultural expression in China. 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 have all raised human rights recently with their counterparts.
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.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of Christians in Eritrea, particular with regard to prolonged detention without trial; and what steps they are taking with international partners to seek the release of prisoners of conscience and to hold Eritrean authorities accountable for any violations of religious freedom under international law.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We consistently raise human rights with the Eritrean government, including religious freedoms. We advocate for the end of detentions based on religion or belief, as we have stated at the UN Human Rights Council. We call for all those unjustly incarcerated to be released. The UK's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea raised human rights during her most recent visit to Eritrea in April and the UK supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July 2024.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Nigeria concerning Leah Sharibu, who was abducted in 2018; and what steps they are taking to support efforts for her release.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government strongly condemns the continued captivity of Leah Sharibu and other children by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) in North East Nigeria, repeatedly calling for their release. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we continue to support the Government of Nigeria's anti-kidnap cell to assist coordination between Nigerian law enforcement agencies responding to kidnap cases.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their role in promoting long-term peace and stability in regions affected by religious persecution.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. Societies that respect and uphold human rights, including FoRB, are stronger, more stable and prosperous.
Faith leaders play a vital role in international mediation and reconciliation. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works internationally with faith-based organisations to support the UK's conflict resolution efforts and build trust and understanding between communities. In Colombia and South Sudan, the UK worked with faith leaders to call on warring parties to negotiate and to support the design and implementation of peace agreements.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to integrate freedom of religion or belief into their broader foreign policy and international development strategies
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. In December 2024, I detailed five Human Rights priorities including defending the rights of people belonging to vulnerable and marginalised groups. By championing FoRB for all, we are fighting back against the threats so many people face for simply what they do, or do not, believe in.
Working with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, we are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our multilateral and bilateral engagement. Where FoRB is under attack, other rights are often threatened too. Our policy is to defend the full range of rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in international human rights treaties to which we are a state party - including FoRB. We work to fully integrate human rights across our wider policy and development agendas to support meaningful change on the ground.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the rising number of prisoners of conscience detained for their religious beliefs worldwide; and what assessment they have made of international law as a framework for holding governments accountable for violations of freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK champions, and remains strongly committed to, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral organisations, our bilateral work, working with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith, and our programme funding, including the Rule of Law (ROLE UK) legal reform programme.
We also use our skilled global diplomatic network to engage directly with governments. Ministers and FCDO officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and do not shy away from challenging those we believe are not meeting their obligations, whether publicly or in private. The UK continues to hold countries to account on their FoRB commitments and obligations, through our engagement with the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and at the UN Human Rights Council. This work is mutually reinforcing of our wider human rights efforts, underpinning our belief that human rights are universal.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are considering to address the persecution of Uyghur refugees in China, including coercive birth control measures; and what steps they are taking to engage with international partners to address these concerns.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
This government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.
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). We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners and work in multilateral fora to hold China to account for human rights violations. Most recently we raised the persecution of Uyghurs within our Item 4 statement at the Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they last made representations to the government of China on the arrest and disappearance of Yao Aichan; and what response they received.
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 and Chancellor all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang and Vice Premier He 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.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to be a global leader in protecting freedom of religion or belief around the world.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding, including the FCDO John Bunyan Fund, a designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects. The appointment of David Smith MP as the Special Envoy for FoRB is a clear signal of the UK's ongoing commitment to these efforts.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ongoing violence against Christians in Nigeria, including the actions of Fulani militant groups; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the government of Nigeria's efforts to protect religious minorities from persecution.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Terrorist groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa have sought to undermine the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) by attacking those who do not subscribe to their extremist views, including both Christians and Muslims. These incidents are distinct from the ongoing intercommunal violence across Nigeria. The root causes of this intercommunal violence are complex, and whilst religious identity can play a role, so can loss of economic opportunity, competition over land and natural resources. The UK is providing £38 million in programming to Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria supporting locally led solutions in Northern Nigeria to tackle the root causes of this violence.