Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if his Department will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the religious dimension of the recent attacks against Christians by (a) jihadist groups and (b) Fulani militants in (i) Northern Nigeria and (ii) the Middle Belt.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
In North East Nigeria, terrorist groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa have sought to undermine the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) by attacking those who do not subscribe to their extremist views. Separately, intercommunal violence and criminal banditry in the North West and Middle Belt has a devastating effect on all faith and non-faith communities, including Christians. The root causes of this intercommunal violence are often complex, and include competition over resources and disruption to traditional ways of life created by environmental degradation, in addition to religious factors. The Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRiNG) will support Nigeria to address the root causes of conflict in the Middle Belt, including natural resource management challenges. The programme will aim to help 1.5 million women and men benefit from reduced violence in their communities, and support 300,000 people to better adapt to the effects of environmental degradation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decision to suspend funding to UNRWA on religious minorities.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.
The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations.
We trebled our aid commitment in the last financial year and are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air, working with multiple implementing partners.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will take steps to help support Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia in the context of the detention and sentencing of several members of that community on charges related to their religious beliefs and activities.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK has repeatedly condemned Russia's persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses. The UK has raised its deep concerns in multilateral fora on several occasions, including at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), most recently on 2 May 2024, and at the UN Security Council. The UK will continue to call on the Russian Government to uphold its international commitments on the freedom of religion or belief and to end its persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has held recent discussions with his Australian counterpart on the recent stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a church service in Wakeley, Australia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government condemns the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, and members of his congregation, during a church service in Australia. The Foreign Secretary has not spoken directly to the Australian Foreign Minister about this attack. However, the UK government is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally and collaborates closely with the Australian government on tackling terrorism, including through law enforcement and Home Office channels.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the safety of Christian (a) clergy and (b) communities (i) in Kachin, Myanmar and (ii) around the world.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities, including the issue of persecution of Christians globally on account of their faith.
We are aware of the continued vulnerability of religious minorities in Myanmar, including in Kachin state. We are committed to supporting ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar and we continue to raise our concerns over discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities in international fora, including through our co-sponsorship of a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent clashes between protestors and police in Georgia; and what discussions he has had with international partners on the protection of civil liberties in that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK is committed to supporting a vibrant civil society in Georgia, which is an essential attribute of a healthy democracy. We are aware of the recent demonstrations in Georgia against the proposed law on transparency of foreign influence and are monitoring developments. We are working closely with international partners to raise our concerns regarding the re-introduction of this law, and the Minister for Europe highlighted our concerns to the Georgian Ambassador when they met on 18 April.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions he has had with international partners on the (a) release of Evan Gershkovich and (b) use of imprisonment as a bargaining tactic.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Evan Gershkovich's detention illustrates Russia's disregard for media freedom. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have called for his immediate release. As a US national, the US Government is providing Mr Gershkovich with consular support. The UK remains in close contact with the US and has raised his case at the OSCE on several occasions, most recently on 21 March. The UK condemns the use of detention for diplomatic leverage and, working with like-minded partners, we remain determined to deter and combat this practice.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in India on the treatment of Christian churches and foreign missionaries in India.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all and promoting tolerance between different religious and non-religious communities, including respect for all places of worship.
India is committed via its constitution to freedom of religion and belief. Where specific issues or concerns arise, we raise these with the Government of India.
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, discussed FoRB with the Government of India, leaders of faith groups and others during his visit to India in May 2023. The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India regularly engage with civil society and religious representatives on these issues.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on securing the release of hostages from Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government has been working with partners across the region to secure the release of hostages, including British nationals and their families.
We have been clear that the release of all the hostages is one of the vital elements for a lasting peace and the Foreign Secretary has reiterated that Hamas must send the hostages home and bring to an end the horrific ordeal of those currently being held.
The UK Government continues to call for an immediate humanitarian pause now to allow for the release of hostages.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made representations to his counterpart in Nicaragua on protecting (a) human rights and (b) religious freedoms (i) since the conviction of Bishop Rolando Álvarez and (ii) in the context of the treatment of Christians and Jews by President Daniel Ortega's regime.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We share widespread international concern about the suppression of human rights in Nicaragua. The UK has been increasingly vocal against the rising repression of the right to freedom of religion or belief for all, including Christian and Jews. Most recently, on 18 April, we released a statement marking the sixth anniversary of the brutally repressed protests in Nicaragua, highlighting continued UK concern at the ongoing situation. On 29 February, the UK also made a statement in response to the latest report by the UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, in which we urged President Ortega to respect fully the human rights of all its citizens. In my [Minister Rutley's] tweet on 16 January, I welcomed the release of Bishop Álvarez and 18 other clergy from their unjust detention but condemned their expulsion from Nicaragua and the continued detention of other political and religious figures.