Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
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 potential implications for her policies of reports of (a) torture and (b) other human rights violations by Tô Lâm .
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to monitor reports of human rights concerns in Vietnam. We regularly raise these issues with the Vietnamese authorities - including at the highest levels - through bilateral engagement and in multilateral forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. Our Embassy in Bangkok is following the arrests of Montagnard Protestants in Thailand. This includes liaising with the relevant authorities to understand potential next steps. We continue to urge all governments to uphold their international human rights obligations, including the non-refoulement principle.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
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 potential implications of her policies of the recent detention of 70 Vietnamese refugees in Thailand.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to monitor reports of human rights concerns in Vietnam. We regularly raise these issues with the Vietnamese authorities - including at the highest levels - through bilateral engagement and in multilateral forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. Our Embassy in Bangkok is following the arrests of Montagnard Protestants in Thailand. This includes liaising with the relevant authorities to understand potential next steps. We continue to urge all governments to uphold their international human rights obligations, including the non-refoulement principle.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department gave Special Mission Immunity to Mr Tô Lâm to allow him to travel to the UK in October 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No special immunity was given in this case.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart on the arrest of (a) Negar Misaghian and (b) Shakib Farzan; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure their release.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 18 September to question 74935.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in China on the recent detention of members of Zion Church; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure their release.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is aware of reports concerning the detention of Zion Church members in China. We continue to follow developments closely and regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities. The UK remains committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law globally.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on the re-sentencing of Zhang Zhan; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure her release.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government regularly raises its concerns about media freedom with the Chinese authorities, including the case of Zhang Zhan, and the Prime Minister and Cabinet colleagues have all raised human rights with their Chinese counterparts.
British diplomats attempted to attend Zhang Zhan's trial on 19 September but were declined entry to court. On 13 October, the Media Freedom Coalition issued a joint statement expressing our strong concern about the detention of Zhang Zhan and calling for her release.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on (a) Christian churches in that country and (b) the arrest of (i) priests and (ii) laypersons from that community; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure the promotion of religious freedom in that country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and we continue to engage with Chinese counterparts on the restriction of those freedoms, including the arbitrary arrest of Christians for practicing their faith.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has granted a Special Mission Immunity certificate to President Isaac Herzog of Israel in advance of his official visit in September 2025; and whether additional assurances of immunity have been provided beyond Head of State Immunity.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government can confirm that President Isaac Herzog's visit to the UK was conducted under the protections afforded to Heads of State under international law. Special Mission Status was not requested for this visit.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Egyptian authorities on reports of discrimination against the Baha’i community; and what steps she is taking to help (a) ensure the protection of the Baha’i population and (b) promote religious freedom in the country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), for all. The Egyptian Government has stated its commitment to protecting the rights and freedom of worship as well as the protections enshrined in the Egyptian constitution. We continue to regularly raise rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Honduran counterpart on the killing of Juan López.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the killing of Juan Lopez in September 2024. Human rights defenders working on environmental issues should be able to work without fear of reprisal, wherever they are. Our Embassy in Guatemala City, which maintains our relations with Honduras, issued a statement following Mr Lopez's death urging the authorities in Honduras to urgently investigate this case. Officials at our Embassy in Guatemala City and in the UK are in regular contact with civil society organisations regarding human rights in Honduras.