Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Israeli Government on its treatment of journalists.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is committed to the protection of media freedom around the world. The safety of journalists across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work. During a call with the Israeli Ambassador on 19 May, I made clear the UK's sadness at the recent death of Shireen Abu Aqleh whilst working in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. I also urged a thorough and transparent investigation and pushed for action to safeguard the work of journalists.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made any representations to her Israeli counterpart on the murder of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 11 May, I publicly expressed my sadness upon hearing news of the tragic death of veteran Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, and called for a thorough investigation. The Foreign Secretary also made this clear in a statement on 12 May. The UK Ambassador to Israel has reiterated the importance of an investigation with the Israeli authorities. The safety of journalists across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her Department will take steps to encourage an independent inquiry by the parties involved into the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 11 May, I publicly expressed my sadness upon hearing news of the tragic death of veteran Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, and called for a thorough investigation. The Foreign Secretary also made this clear in a statement on 12 May. The UK Ambassador to Israel has reiterated the importance of an investigation with the Israeli authorities. The safety of journalists across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 11 May, I publicly expressed my sadness upon hearing news of the tragic death of veteran Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh and called for a thorough investigation. The Foreign Secretary also made this clear in a statement on 12 May. The UK Ambassador to Israel has reiterated the importance of an investigation with the Israeli authorities. The safety of journalists across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in the aid budget on the UN’s relief agency for (a) Palestinians and (b) the humanitarian situation.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We recognise UNRWA's unique mandate from the UN General Assembly, to provide protection and core services including health and education to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. The UK's annual contribution to UNRWA's programme budget helps UNRWA to provide basic education to more than 533,000 children a year (half of whom are girls), access to health services for 3.5 million Palestinian refugees and social safety net assistance for around 255,000 of the most vulnerable across the region.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she and her Department have had with her counterparts and officials in the Pakistani Government on ensuring the Afghanistan/Pakistan border remains open to (a) Afghan or (b) British nationals looking to leave Afghanistan and reach the UK.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Foreign Secretary discussed Afghanistan with Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi, including border issues, on 28 September. The High Commissioner and other UK officials in Islamabad are in daily contact with Pakistani officials to ensure both British nationals and eligible Afghan nationals are able to cross the border. We are very grateful for the assistance Pakistan has offered to date and look forward to continuing to work closely with them to get British nationals and vulnerable Afghan citizens to safety.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent reports of the alleged torture of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China; and what discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on those reports of alleged torture.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is deeply concerned about the systematic human rights violations being perpetrated in Xinjiang, including disturbing reports of torture of Uyghur Muslims. We have led international efforts to hold China to account for its actions, leading the first two statements on Xinjiang at the UN and utilising our diplomatic network to raise the issue up the international agenda. In March, the UK announced sanctions against four Chinese officials and an entity responsible for the egregious human rights violations taking place. In January, the Government also announced a series of measures to help ensure that British organisations are not complicit in, nor profiting from, the human rights violations in the region. We will continue to take robust action, including by raising our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of British citizens currently in Afghanistan.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Between 15-28 August over 8,000 British nationals and dependents were evacuated from Afghanistan. Additionally the FCDO has supported over 60 British nationals and their eligible dependants to leave Afghanistan on Qatari Government charter flights. We continue to work to support British nationals and their dependants to leave Afghanistan if that is their wish. We expect British people to take responsibility for themselves and their safety while overseas. The FCDO does not routinely ask British nationals to register with a British Embassy or High Commission overseas. Recognising the circumstances in Afghanistan, British nationals still in Afghanistan were asked to register their continued presence to allow the FCDO to maintain contact after the evacuation phase ended. We use this information to communicate with British nationals and assess the data provided by those who have registered.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to repatriate British citizens from Afghanistan.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Under Operation PITTING, our armed forces and Civil Service staff worked around the clock to evacuate around 15,000 people - including around 8,000 British Nationals. We evacuated more British nationals and their families than we previously thought were in Afghanistan. Working closely with the Government of Qatar we have supported a further 60+ British nationals and their dependents leave Kabul. Our immediate focus is on ensuring safe passage for anyone remaining in Afghanistan who is eligible to come to the UK and wishes to leave. We continue to work closely with the Qatari authorities to facilitate the evacuation of British nationals from Kabul. Rapid Deployment Teams have been sent to Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to reinforce our Embassy staff to process arrivals from Afghanistan. Teams have also deployed to Qatar and UAE to assist our operations there and we are providing consular support to British nationals who were evacuated by other allies, including via US airbases in Europe.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) implications for his policies of the Indian Government's recent lockdown on Kashmir after the death of activist, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and (b) human rights situation in Kashmir.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The restrictions that were imposed following Mr Geelani's death have reportedly been lifted. We are monitoring the situation in Kashmir. We recognise that there are human rights concerns in both India-administered-Kashmir and Pakistan-administered-Kashmir. We encourage all states to ensure that domestic laws are in line with international standards and that any allegation of human rights abuse is investigated thoroughly, promptly, transparently and independently.