Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on banning the live trade of wild and endangered animals; and what steps the Chinese Government is taking to (a) reduce and (b) eliminate the (i) trade of (A) elephant ivory and (B) rhino horn and (ii) live trade of (1) tigers, (2) pangolins and (C) sharks.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to protect endangered animals from unsustainable trade and my officials continue to raise the subject regularly with their Chinese counterparts. Specifically, senior officials in Beijing and London have raised concerns with China on proposed adjustments to 1993 legislation on tiger and rhino products. We hosted a high level conference on the illegal Wildlife Trade in London in October 2018. At that conference China co-hosted a session on combatting the ivory trade following their introduction of a domestic ivory ban. On 24 February 2020 China's National People's Congress passed a law banning the wildlife trade and the consumption of wild animals.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with this Gambian counterpart on a potential case of genocide against Burma being brought to the International Court of Justice.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
I am aware that The Gambia is planning on bringing a case before the International Court of Justice as part of an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation initiative but I have not had any discussions with my Gambian counterpart on this issue.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) assessment he has made of the effect of reports of arbitrary indefinite detention in Kashmir and (b) representations the Government has made to the Government of (a) India and (b) Pakistan on the human rights of Kashmir residents.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are following the serious situation in Kashmir closely. The continued use of detentions and the continued restrictions on communications is worrying. It is important that individual rights are fully respected and that there is constructive dialogue with affected communities. We have raised our concerns with the Governments of India and Pakistan. The Prime Minister raised his concerns about the situation with PM Modi and PM Khan. The Foreign Secretary has also discussed Kashmir with his Indian counterpart Dr Jaishankar. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon has also spoken on a number of occasions with both the Indian High Commissioner and Pakistan High Commission about the situation.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) assessment he has made of the effect of reports of arbitrary indefinite detention in Kashmir and (b) representations the Government has made to the Government of (a) India and (b) Pakistan on the human rights of Kashmir residents.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the recent shooting of the unarmed child, Abd el-Rahman Shatawi, in Kafr Qaddum; and what information he has received on that shooting.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Whilst we have not raised this specific case with the Israeli authorities, the Government is very concerned at the high numbers of Palestinian children killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank and Gaza. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the issue of excessive use of force, including use of live ammunition, causing deaths and injuries to Palestinians in the West Bank with both the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Hong Kong Government's policing of the recent protests against the proposed extradition law with sections of the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 on rights and freedoms related to (a) speech, (b) assembly, (c) the press, (d) movement, (e) correspondence, (f) travel, (g) to strike and (h) academic research.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Freedoms of speech, assembly, the press, movement, correspondence, travel, of strike, and academic research are all guaranteed rights under the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984.
The British Government supports the Hong Kong people's right to peaceful and lawful protest, which is also one of the fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong. It is imperative that any protests are conducted in a peaceful manner, and that the authorities' response is proportionate. We note the announcement of a special inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Council into recent events in Hong Kong, and look forward to the publication of further details about the scope and composition of the investigation.
The Foreign Secretary announced on 25 June that we will not issue export licenses for crowd control equipment to Hong Kong unless we are satisfied that concerns raised on human rights and fundamental freedoms have been thoroughly addressed.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2019 to Question 250501 on Brunei: LGBT People, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Brunei on revoking in their entirety the anti-LGBT laws in that country.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is committed to the principle of non-discrimination on any grounds, including on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people. The Foreign Secretary and I have made that position clear through public and parliamentary statements and in conversations with the Government of Brunei.
We welcomed assurances provided by The Sultan of Brunei on 5 May regarding the implementation of phase 3 of the Sharia Penal Code. His Majesty confirmed that the de facto moratorium on the death penalty will apply to punishments under the Sharia Penal Code and has committed to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture. The assurances provided by the Sultan go some way to addressing our anxieties about the human rights situation in Brunei. We have urged Brunei to build on these assurances and formalise its commitment to respect individual freedoms and minorities. We echoed this message in the UK's statement at Brunei's Universal Periodic Review on 10 May.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2019 to Question 245924 on Brunei: LGBT People, what meetings he has had with his counterpart in Brunei on the implementation of anti-LGBT laws in that country; and what the outcomes of those meetings has been.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign Secretary spoke to Brunei’s Foreign Minister, Dato Erywan, on 4 April to express the UK’s concerns about the impact of the Sharia Penal Code. On 11 April, the Foreign Secretary and I met Dato Erywan and the Finance Minister, Dato Amin Liew, in London. The Prime Minister wrote to His Majesty The Sultan on 1 May encouraging the Sultan of Brunei to respond to international concerns.
We welcome the assurances thereafter provided by His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei on 5 May; in particular, confirmation that the de facto moratorium on the death penalty will apply to punishments under the Sharia Penal Code and that His Majesty the Sultan will commit to ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Following this announcement, I again met Dato Erywan and Dato Amin Liew on 7 May in London followed by a letter from the Foreign Secretary on 9 May.
The announcement by His Majesty demonstrates the importance of engaging in respectful dialogue and diplomacy to address sensitive issues. The assurances provided by His Majesty the Sultan are positive and go some way to addressing our anxieties about the human rights situation in Brunei. However, we urge Brunei to build on these assurances and formalise its commitment to respect individual freedoms and minorities.