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 plans he has to seek an UN investigation into the killing of protesters in Iran following the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran's public call to member states to increase international efforts to end impunity in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to working with international partners to hold Iran to account for its persistent violations of human rights and violent repression of legitimate protests. This includes through the full range of multilateral fora, including the UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, G7 and the UN General Assembly Third Committee. We continue to support the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Human Rights and have co-sponsored his mandate each year.
We support the call for a Special Session of the Human Rights Council. The UK will respond to human rights violations taking place in Iran, and work to defend the rights of women, girls and all people of Iran. We support a strong UN mandate to help achieve that.
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 Indian counterpart on the availability of visa interview appointments at the Indian High Commission in London.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly works with the Government of India (GoI) to consider how to remove barriers in the way of greater co-operation between our two countries and will continue to raise issues such as improving visa services for British Citizens; we will continue to update FCDO Travel Advice on GOV.UK with the latest information. We respect the GoI's right to set its visa policies, just as we would expect the Indian authorities to respect the UK's immigration and visa procedures.
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, if he will impose Magnitsky sanctions on people responsible for human rights violations in Iran.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The UK raises human rights on diplomatic channels at all appropriate opportunities, both directly with the Iranian government and alongside the international community at multilateral fora. The UK also maintains a robust sanctions regime targeting individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations in Iran. On 10 October, the UK designated the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations under the Iran Human Rights sanctions regime. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. A full list is available through Gov.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sanctions-on-iran-relating-to-human-rights.
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 has had with counterparts in the Iranian government on the killing of protesters in Summer 2022.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The death of Mahsa Amini in Iran is a shocking reminder of the repression faced by women in Iran. The Foreign Secretary summoned Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK to call for a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death and to condemn the subsequent violent crackdown on protestors. The UK made clear that instead of blaming external actors for unrest, Iranian authorities should take responsibility and listen to concerns of their people.
On 10 October, the UK sanctioned the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. These sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities that the UK will hold them to account for their repression of women and girls and for the shocking violence inflicted on their people.
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 representations officials in her Department have made to the Israeli Government on reports of destruction of homes and farms in Masafer Yatta.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We are aware of the decision by the Israeli Supreme Court on the Masafer Yatta eviction case and are monitoring the situation closely. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.
I met with Palestinian families affected by the ongoing demolition and eviction orders at Masafer Yatta during my recent visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories and raised our concerns with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Roll on 22 June.
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 officials in her Department have had with their counterparts in the Spanish and Moroccan Governments on recent deaths at the Melilla border.
Answered by Graham Stuart
We are concerned by the events of Friday 24 June on the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla, during which many migrants died. Senior FCDO officials have spoken to the relevant authorities in Spain and Morocco regarding the incident. We welcome the decision of both authorities to carry out investigations.