Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his counterpart in the United States on the duration of their travel restrictions based on vaccine status.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I have not raised the issue of travel restrictions based on vaccine status with my counterpart, the US Secretary of State. On 10 June 2021, in the UK - US joint statement signed by the then Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Boris Johnson MP and President Biden, the UK and US announced the creation of an Experts Working Group on Travel. This group shared expertise and provided recommendations to leaders on the return of safe international travel. This group has discussed travel restrictions based on vaccine status.Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the potential merits of further sanctions against the Myanmar military.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Since the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021, the UK Government have imposed 12 tranches of sanctions targeting the military's leadership, businesses and associates. On 21 June 2021, we jointly announced sanctions with the EU on Myanmar Pearl Enterprise and Myanmar Timber Enterprise. The UK government is in regular contact with our counterparts in the EU to coordinate on possible future sanctions targets. This includes sharing information and discussing potential targets. We continue to explore further measures to undermine the Myanmar military regime's credibility and target their access to finance and arms.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 Nicaraguan Government in relation to freedom of religious expression and human rights.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We have raised our concerns on the deteriorating human rights situation with Nicaraguan Government representatives in London, in Managua, at multilateral fora and publicly through a series of statements, including expressing concern about the harassment of the Church and its representatives. On 16 June the UK's Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, delivered a statement on behalf of the UK during the Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner's report on Nicaragua. The UK will continue to work closely with partners to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Nicaragua.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in the context of the killing of church worshippers in the town of Owo, Ondo State on 5 June, what discussions she has had with the Nigerian authorities on steps they are taking to prevent further similar incidents in (a) the Christian-majority south and (b) other areas of Nigeria.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Increasing insecurity across Nigeria is having a devastating impact on affected communities. I [the Minister for Africa] publicly condemned the attack on a church in Owo, Ondo State, stressing the importance of those responsible being brought to justice. All religious communities should be able to practise their faith without fear. It is clear that religious identity can be a factor in incidents of violence in Nigeria. Both Christian and Muslim communities have been victims of violence. The root causes of violence are complex, and in the case of intercommunal violence, frequently relate to competition over resources, historical grievances and criminality.
I [the Minister for Africa] regularly discuss insecurity in Nigeria with the Nigerian authorities, and we are committed to working with Nigeria to help them respond. At the first dialogue of our Security and Defence partnership in February, we agreed to work together to respond to security challenges across the country, including serious and organised crime, kidnaps and terrorism. The UK Government will continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence, whilst also ensuring Freedom of Religion or Belief for all.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Chinese Government on the impact of its Measures for the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services legislation on Christians in that country seeking to access material on the internet.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China, including the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief.
We regularly raise our concerns about human rights violations and freedom of religion or belief directly with the Chinese authorities and in multilateral fora. Most recently, we raised our concerns in a statement at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 21 March. The Foreign Secretary also underlined our concerns in a personal address to the UN Human Rights Council on 1 March.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will take steps to tackle religious persecution in Cuba.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. We actively promote the right to FoRB through our diplomatic activity both directly with countries, and through multilateral fora including the UN where we call out countries that violate this human right.
The reports of the continued maltreatment of those religious leaders arrested by the Government of Cuba are concerning. We have raised the ongoing detentions of protestors directly with the Cuban Government, both in London and Havana. We are clear that human rights must be respected in Cuba: all Cubans should have the right to protest peacefully and detention must not be used as a tool to restrict freedom of expression, assembly, or religion or belief.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 the Nigerian Government on the violations and abuses of human rights committed by Boko Haram; and what assessment has she made of the effectiveness of the Nigerian government at bringing the perpetrators of these abuses and violations to justice.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa have caused immense suffering to local communities in the Lake Chad Basin region. We condemn all incidents of violence against civilians in Nigeria. During my visit to Nigeria in February, I raised rising insecurity and its impact on the Nigerian people with the Vice-President and Foreign Minister. I also discussed insecurity with Nigeria's National Security Advisor during the first dialogue of our Security and Defence Partnership in February. During the dialogue, the UK and Nigerian Governments discussed and reaffirmed our commitment to work together to respond to the shared threat of terrorism, and agreed on the importance of an efficient, fair and effective justice system for victims of conflict. The Nigerian Government committed to take steps to progress cases promptly, including trials of those accused of terrorism offences, to provide justice for victims, and the UK Government offered to share technical advice and experience, in support.
We will continue to urge and support the Nigerian Government to take action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence. We will also continue to make clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of protecting civilians and will continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take action to bring perpetrators to justice.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 reports of the killing of at least 35 people by Myanmar’s military regime on Christmas Eve; and what steps she is taking with international partners in response to those reports.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is deeply concerned by the increasing levels of violence across Myanmar. We are appalled by reports that the military killed at least 35 people, including four children and two staff of Save the Children, in Kayah State on 24 December. In response, the UK and international partners secured a United Nations Security Council press statement on 29 December condemning the killings and stressing the need to ensure accountability for this act, and calling for an immediate cessation of all violence and the protection of civilians. We continue to support the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar which investigates, collects, and preserves evidence of serious human rights violations for future prosecution.
The UK also remains committed to helping those most in need. Since the coup we have provided £18 million in humanitarian assistance in Myanmar. We will continue to provide humanitarian support to the most vulnerable and conflict-affected populations.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussion she has had with her Chinese counterpart on promoting freedom of religious expression and belief in China in response to the removal of a Bible and Quran from the Apple App Store in China.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We are aware of reports concerning the removal of Bible and Quran apps from the Apple App Store in China. We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China, including the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief. The freedom to practise, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. The Foreign Secretary personally raised our concerns about the human rights situation in China with her Chinese counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on 22 October.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to protect Sudanese Christians from persecution and harm since the military coup on 25 October 2021 in that country.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We strongly condemn the actions of the Sudanese military on 25 October, including the continued detention of Prime Minister Hamdok and members of the civilian government and the unilateral appointment of a new Sovereign Council on 11 November. Over the past two years, the UK has taken a leading role to support Sudan on their delicate path from oppressive autocratic rule to freedom and democracy. We welcome the progress made by the civilian-led government on the freedom of religion or belief since 2019, which included decriminalising apostasy declaring Christmas a national holiday and lifting public order laws that disproportionately affected Christian women. The acts of the military puts this progress at risk.
I condemned the military's actions in the strongest terms in the House of Commons on 25 October and called for Sudanese people of all faiths to be able to meet to protest and to pray without fear of violence. The Foreign Secretary then made a statement on 5 November with a clear call for the release of all those unlawfully detained and the restoration of the civilian-led transitional government. We also secured unanimous support for a resolution on the situation in Sudan at a Special Session at the UN Human Rights Council on 5 November, which made clear that Sudan's civilian-led government must be restored, detainees freed, and human rights respected. We continue to maintain public international pressure on the military to return to the democratic transition in order to deliver the freedom, peace and justice called for by the Sudanese people and ensure that the gains of the last two years are not lost.