Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 treatment of LGBT+ people in Afghanistan by (a) the Taliban Government, (b) religious authorities and (c) Afghan society since August 2021.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO continues to monitor the human rights situation in Afghanistan closely, including the situation of the LGBT+ community. On 7 October 2022, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution to extend the UN Special Rapporteur's mandate to monitor human rights in Afghanistan. As the UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett has since reported, LGBT+ people face discrimination, threats and violence in Afghanistan. FCDO officials continue to call on the Taliban to protect all minority communities.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with Kurdish authorities on the scheduling of parliamentary elections in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government supports a democratic Kurdistan Region within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) were due in October 2022, and we continue to press the Kurdistan Regional Government to reschedule these elections to take place as soon as possible. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon visited Iraq, including the KRI, in March and emphasised to senior figures in the Kurdistan Regional Government the importance the UK places on democracy in the KRI. Our Ambassador in Baghdad and Consul General in Erbil continue to raise this issue in public and private, most recently in meetings with the leaders of political parties, the President, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in May.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with Kurdish authorities on the release of (a) Sherwan Sherwani, (b) Guhdar Zebari and (c) other political prisoners in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to pressing the case for improvements in the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), and we consistently raise our issues about restrictions on freedom of expression, in particular the conviction and sentencing of journalists and political activists. During his visit to the KRI in March the Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon raised concerns over restrictions on media freedom with senior figures in the Kurdistan Regional Government. Our Ambassador in Baghdad, and our Consul General in Erbil, also raise these issues regularly with senior figures in the Kurdistan Regional Government, including the Prime Minister and President, and meet Kurdish journalists and members of civil society to discuss their concerns.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department is having with officials in Pakistan following the removal and arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan; and what assessment he has made of the civil unrest in Pakistan as a result of his removal.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have said, the UK has a close and longstanding relationship with Pakistan. We support peaceful democratic processes and adherence to the rule of law and we are continuing to monitor the situation in Pakistan. Lord [Tariq] Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia, has spoken to the High Commissioner for Pakistan to the UK and to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when charities in Ukraine are expected to receive the £2.3 billion from Roman Abramovich's sale of Chelsea.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are frozen in a UK bank account. They cannot be moved or used without a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. Humanitarian experts outside of Government are responsible for the highly complex process to establish a foundation to manage and distribute the proceeds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. Setting up an organisation of this scale rightly takes time.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 counterparts in Uganda on the Ugandan Government's Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
I have expressed the UK's deep disappointment with the decision of the Parliament of Uganda on 21 March 2023 to pass the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The UK is alarmed by the increasing criminalization of LGBT+ people in Uganda. This Bill threatens minority rights and risks persecution and discrimination of all people across Uganda. Amendments to the Bill, including introduction of the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality', are very worrying. The UK Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 Pakistani counterpart on Pakistan's refusal to consider visa applications from individuals holding Refugee Travel Documents.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is working with the Government of Pakistan to support refugees in Pakistan, and to encourage their inclusion into the wider population. The UK has provided £6.5 million to support refugee preparedness in Pakistan.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK supports the International Criminal Court’s inquiry into allegations of war crimes in the West Bank and Gaza.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court and we respect the independence of the Court. We do not consider that the ICC has jurisdiction in this instance as the UK does not currently recognise Palestinian statehood.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the legality of Israeli settlements under international law.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. We want to see a contiguous West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as part of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, based on pre-1967 lines. We urge Israel to halt its settlement expansion. The Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, reinforced this message in his meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen, Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh and Palestinian Foreign Minister Malki, during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 10-13 January.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of downgrading the UK's diplomatic relations with Iran.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK-Iran bilateral relationship is an important part of our policy and a key enabling tool in achieving our wider goals. Maintaining diplomatic ties allows the UK to address important issues of human rights, UK security, our consular cases and Iran's role in the region. We do not agree on everything, but it is right that Britain and Iran should maintain dialogue. The Foreign Secretary summoned the Iranian Chargé d'affaires on 3 October and on 11 November, to make our dissatisfaction with Iran's actions clear. We also reiterated to the Chargé on 26 October the need for Iran to adhere to internationally recognised human rights. The UK also engages the Iranian authorities on a full range of issues through His Majesty's Ambassador and the British Embassy in Tehran.