Syria: Druze Community

Earl of Courtown Excerpts

Thursday 17th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

It is completely wrong in any context for somebody to be harmed or persecuted purely on the basis of what they happen to believe. When the Foreign Secretary was in Damascus recently speaking to the Government of Syria and the President, he expressed our concern about the persecution of religious minorities and offered our support in any way that can be helpful in making sure that, whatever religion or background you have in Syria, you are able to be part of society and part of the leadership of the country as it goes forward.

[The Earl of Courtown (Con)]

My Lords, as the Minister said, we are clear that de-escalation and stability have to be an urgent and immediate priority for all those involved. The Syrian Government are in the early stages of establishing themselves following the collapse of the Assad regime. It is vital that we facilitate the development of a stable, democratic and peaceful regime in Syria. Following on from what the noble Lord, Lord Alton, was saying about holding to account, can the Minister tell the House what steps His Majesty’s Government are taking to ensure accountability for crimes committed under the Assad regime?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

We are working very closely with actors on the ground, not least civil society organisations, and support all the things that need to be done in order to achieve accountability. That does matter. I thank the noble Lord opposite for the cross-party nature of our position on this. That is incredibly helpful and something that I hope can continue.