Asked by: Joe Powell (Labour - Kensington and Bayswater)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the arbitrary detention of prisoners in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned at the increased number of detentions of independent journalists, human rights defenders and civil society representatives over the last year, and we continue to urge Azerbaijan to improve human rights protections for all its citizens; Azerbaijan's hosting of COP29 in November provides the country with an opportunity to demonstrate meaningful action in this regard. The UK has consistently called on Azerbaijan to ensure that those in detention are afforded a fair trial and are provided safe conditions, in accordance with Azerbaijan's international obligations and commitments. British Embassy Baku regularly raises these issues with the Azerbaijani authorities at senior levels.
Asked by: Joe Powell (Labour - Kensington and Bayswater)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the protection of human rights. We are committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief for all. In July, the Foreign Secretary and I raised concerns publicly and privately about the unprecedented levels of violence and we urged for a de-escalation of the situation. The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK's full support as it works to restore peace and order. We welcome the Chief Advisor's recent comments on the need to support minority communities in Bangladesh, particularly in the lead up to Durga Puja.
Asked by: Joe Powell (Labour - Kensington and Bayswater)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support free, fair and peaceful elections in Georgia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 9 October, I [Minister Doughty] made clear to Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili that Georgia's parliamentary elections must be held in accordance with international democratic standards. We have allocated £500,000 to support independent election monitoring in Georgia. The funding will enable the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) election observation mission and Georgian civil society groups to effectively monitor 26 October's parliamentary elections.