Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about its national security legislation for Hong Kong, in particular with regard to (1) human rights concerns, and (2) the impact of that legislation on human rights defenders; and how those representations have been raised.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary made clear to Parliament on 1 July, the imposition by China of the National Security Law on Hong Kong constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The legislation contains a slew of measures that directly threaten the freedoms and rights protected by the Joint Declaration.
Freedom of speech, assembly and association are explicitly guaranteed in the Joint Declaration and Basic Law. The Hong Kong authorities must uphold the rights and freedoms of its people.
On 1 July, the Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office summoned the Chinese Ambassador to make clear the UK's deep concerns. The UK Consul General in Hong Kong has also raised our concerns with Hong Kong's Executive Council. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Chinese State Councillor and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi on 8 June and 28 July. We have also made our views clear at the United Nations. The UK, with the US, raised the issue at the UN Security Council on 29 May. At the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 30 June, the UK led a formal Joint Statement with the support of 27 international partners, setting out our deep concern both on Hong Kong and Xinjiang. On 23 September, the UK hosted a virtual side event in the margins of the UN Human Rights Council on rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, which was co-sponsored by Canada and Australia. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Governments of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, both privately and publicly.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving the UN in the application of pressure (1) to the government of (a) Israel, (b) Russia, and (c) Saudi Arabia, and (2) to any other government which has yet to sign and has been accused of (a) violating the rights of children, and (b) attacking schools, to sign the Safe Schools Declaration.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Safe Schools Declaration (Declaration) is a powerful initiative that has successfully shifted mind-sets globally on the impact of attacks and military occupation of educational infrastructure. The UK welcomes the Declaration and other efforts aimed at promoting and protecting the right to education and facilitating its continuation in conflict.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC), the UK is using its membership to engage with key states as they come onto the UNSC on the Declaration, to lobby for endorsement, push for effective implementation, and offer official level consultations where relevant. Through the UNSC Children and Armed Conflict Working Group, the UK supplements and supports the work of the UN to end all violations against children, including pushing states to ensure that educational facilities and related personnel are protected, in line with the Declaration. The UK lobbied successfully for key commitments in September's UNSC Presidential Statement on protecting education against attack, including securing reference to the Declaration and the critical role it plays, despite strong opposition.
In September 2020, the UK actively supported the implementation of the first International Day to Protect Education from Attack on 9 September. We participated in a related UNSC Open Debate, calling upon Member States to endorse and commit to avoiding military use of educational facilities. We will continue to call upon all UN Member States to endorse and implement the Declaration, including Israel, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the governments of Australia and New Zealand about those governments' policies aimed at encouraging UK skilled workers and their families to settle in those countries; and what estimate they have made of the cost to HM Treasury of the emigration of such workers.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not had recent discussions with the governments of Australia and New Zealand on such a matter.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the proposals by the government of China to introduce new national security legislation in Hong Kong, what steps they are taking with (1) the United Nations, and (2) the governments of other democratic countries, to ensure that the Joint Sino-British Declaration is upheld.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary is engaging actively with a range of international partners to explain our position and impress on them the gravity of situation. We want to build up a groundswell of those who share our commitment to international law. We believe that is the most effective means of getting China to live up to its obligations and responsibilities as a leading member of the international community. We will also work within international institutions such as the UN Human Rights Council to ensure that China upholds the commitments they made as co-signatory to the Joint Declaration. The UK and the US raised the issue at the UN Security Council on 28 May.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 5 May (HL3427), what urgent representations they will make to the government of Hong Kong about any breach of Article 22 of the Basic Law arising from the arrest of pro-democracy leaders and lawmakers; and what plans they have, as part of their role as a co-signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, to request that the trials of those arrested do not proceed.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in my Written Answer on 5 May (HL3427), we are concerned by the arrests of a number of pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong and are following these cases closely. Senior Officials have raised our concern about the arrests with the authorities in Hong Kong, Beijing and with the Chinese Embassy in London; and we will continue to make our views clear both publicly and privately.
Article 22 of the basic law states that "No department of the Central People's Government [,,,,] may interfere in the affairs which the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region administers on its own in accordance with this law". As co-signatory of the Joint Declaration, we expect the mainland Chinese authorities to respect Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and the rights and freedoms provided for in that legally binding treaty.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what urgent representations they will make to the government of Saudi Arabia to request the release of any (1) female activists, and (2) political prisoners, who have been detained without charge.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned about the continued detention of women's rights activists and political detainees in Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about the ongoing detention of political detainees, including women's rights defenders, during his visit to Riyadh on 4 and 5 March. We raise concerns about individual cases regularly and will continue to call for political detainees to be given adequate legal representation.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of China about the assault and arrests of pro-democracy leaders and lawmakers, including Martin Lee and Jimmy Lai; and what assessment they have made of the freedom of expression in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned about the arrests of a number of political figures in Hong Kong, and are following these cases closely. We expect any arrests and judicial processes to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to Hong Kong's way of life and as such is protected in both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. It is essential that any protests are conducted peacefully, and that the authorities avoid actions that inflame tensions. The authorities should focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue.
The UK remains committed to upholding the rights and freedoms underpinned by the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law and enshrined in Hong Kong's Bill of Rights, and we expect the Chinese authorities to respect and preserve Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. We have made this position clear to the Chinese authorities and will continue to do so, publicly and privately.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about the enforcement of the death penalty in that country; what assessment they made of that county’s human rights record; and in view of that assessment, what evaluation they have made of the potential takeover of Newcastle Football Club by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly make clear, using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, that the British Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country. The former Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised our concerns about the death penalty with Deputy Justice Minister HE Abdullah Al Sulaimi on 11 February.
Our most recent assessment of Saudi Arabia's human rights record was published in our latest Human Rights and Democracy Report, published in June 2019. Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty and restrictions on women's rights, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief. The Foreign Secretary raised our human rights concerns with Saudi Arabia during his visit in March.
We are aware of a potential takeover bid for Newcastle United Football Club involving Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The bid is being considered by the Premier League in accordance with its own established procedures.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to assist British citizens stranded in Hong Kong as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The safety and security of British nationals will always be our top priority. The British Consulate-General in Hong Kong remains in close contact with British nationals in the region to ensure they have the latest information they need. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not changed the level of its travel advice for Hong Kong in response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak originating in Wuhan, China, though does now advise against all travel to Hubei province and against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao). We have updated our travel advice for all countries and territories which have recorded a confirmed case of the coronavirus.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the continuing unrest in Hong Kong, what plans they have to follow the example of the Magnitsky Act legislation of the government of the United States to ban people from Hong Kong and mainland China found guilty of violating human rights and the rule of law from entering the UK, and to freeze their assets.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK will establish a UK autonomous global human rights sanctions regime once we leave the European Union. A global sanctions regime will allow us to respond to serious human rights violations or abuses anywhere in the world. The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights. A human rights sanctions regime will help support our human rights objectives. We will look to cooperate with others, including the US and Canada, who use sanctions to address human rights.