Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Venezuela about the whereabouts of Jesús Armas and reports that he is being held in El Helicoide.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns the ongoing repression against civil society and members of the opposition in Venezuela. Over 1900 Venezuelans remain arbitrarily detained, including Jesus Armas whose whereabouts remain unknown. The UK has repeatedly called for human rights to be protected and for the immediate and unconditional release of those arbitrarily detained, most recently through a UK statement at the Human Rights Council on 13 December. The UK was also party to the G7 Foreign Ministers' statements of 24 September and 26 November, calling on Venezuelan representatives to publish the election results in full and calling for all unjustly detained political prisoners to be released.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about the continuing detention of Imran Khan; and what assessment they have made of reports that he has been denied phone calls and visits.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Foreign Secretary met with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on 4 September and 24 October to discuss a range of key issues, including Pakistan's domestic political situation. We have consistently urged the Pakistani authorities to demonstrate their democratic credentials by acting in line with their international obligations and with respect for the fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, including the right to a fair trial, due process and humane detention.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by the International Commission of Jurists that the passing of the 26th Constitutional Amendment by the government of Pakistan is a “blow to judicial independence, the rule of law, and human rights protection”; and what representations they have made to that government in that regard.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Any amendment to Pakistan's constitution is a matter for Pakistan. An independent judiciary able to check and balance other state organs is a critical element of a functioning democracy.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to begin directly importing Turkish Cypriot products, including fresh produce, to the UK from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as an independent state. Several UN Security Council Resolutions and other multilateral agreements also limit links between UK and the north. The UK has no intention to begin directly importing products. We continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus is the best means of resolving the difficulties caused by the division of the island.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan to ensure the safety of (1) domestic, and (2) foreign, journalists in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is a champion of media freedom and a proud member of the Media Freedom Coalition. The British High Commission in Islamabad regularly raises media freedom and the protection of journalists with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. On 23 January the UK Political Counsellor raised these issues with Muhammad Saleem Baig, Chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority. On 17 November 2022 the British High Commissioner discussed the issue of media freedom with Pakistan's Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that members of Pakistan’s main opposition, Pakistan Tehreek Insaf, have been detained without legal representation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
As the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have said, the UK has a close and longstanding relationship with Pakistan. We are aware of recent reports of arrests in Pakistan and continue to monitor the situation closely. I spoke to the High Commissioner for Pakistan to the UK, Moazzam Ahmad Khan on 9 May and to Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, on 10 and 13 May, emphasising the importance of peaceful democratic processes and adherence to the rule of law.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other Commonwealth governments regarding Pakistan's compliance with the Commonwealth Charter.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
All Commonwealth member states have committed to uphold shared values that are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter, such as Human Rights, Good Governance and the Rule of Law. The Commonwealth Secretary-General is responsible for upholding the principles of the Commonwealth Charter. His Majesty's Government has not discussed Pakistan's compliance with other Commonwealth governments. Last week, I spoke to Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Hina Rabbani Khar, and to Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK about the domestic political situation in Pakistan.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights violations in Tunisia; what representations they have made to the government of the Republic of Tunisia about the detention of political prisoners, including the former Speaker, Rached Ghannouchi; whether they plan to take action against any individuals involved in these violations and, specifically, to enact targeted sanctions against Kais Saied (President of the Republic), Leila Jaffel (Minister of Justice), Imed Memmich (Minister of Defence), Kamel Feki (Minister of the Interior) and former ministers, Taoufik Charfeddine and Ridha Gharsallaoui, as requested by Tunisia’s democratic opposition.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
On 18 April, the Minister of State for North Africa, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon made clear the UK's view that the recent wave of arrests and restrictions on political opposition in Tunisia are eroding the space for political plurality, and urged the Tunisian Government to respect the principles and values of an open and democratic society. Lord Ahmad also raised our issues over the arrests directly with Tunisian Chargé d'Affaires on 23 February, as did His Majesty's Ambassador to Tunisia with Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar on 23 February. The UK believes in the importance of space for legitimate political opposition, civil society, strengthening human rights and including all voices in building resilient and successful democracies. The UK is a constructive partner to Tunisia, and we will continue to raise these important issues with the Tunisian authorities at every available opportunity. Imposing sanctions is one response among other diplomatic tools and we will continue to consider a range of approaches to tackle human rights issues. The UK Government does not speculate on future designations. We continue to monitor the political and human rights situation in Tunisia closely.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Georgia regarding the continuing detention of Mikheil Saakashvili, whose health has reported to have “deteriorated sharply”; and what plans they have to encourage that government to release him on humanitarian grounds.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are following former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili's treatment during his imprisonment closely. Our Ambassador to Georgia has met members of Mr Saakashvili's family to discuss his detention on two occasions, the FCDO raised his treatment with the Georgian Ambassador to London on 2 November, and Embassy officials also met representatives of the United National Movement political party to discuss his health, most recently on 2 and 14 December. Mr Saakashvili's case was also discussed in a meeting between our Ambassador to Georgia and Prime Minister Garibashvili on 15 December. We have repeatedly emphasised that Mr Saakashvili should receive treatment in line with international human rights standards, and urged that any further court hearings are in line with due process and the rule of law. We will continue to highlight the importance of Mr Saakashvili's treatment in line with international human rights standards, and that any further hearings are in line with the rule of law and due process in discussions with the Georgian Government.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they still recognise Juan Guaidó as the legitimate interim president of Venezuela; and if so, whether they consider the current occupants of the Venezuelan embassy and consulate in London to be legitimate.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We remain deeply concerned about the political situation in Venezuela, where multiple crises are afflicting its people. We continue to recognise Juan Guaidó as the interim constitutional president of Venezuela and continue in our efforts to support a return to democracy in Venezuela. While UK Government does not accept the legitimacy of the Maduro regime, we maintain limited engagement with regime officials where necessary.