Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is Government policy that the use of cluster munitions against civilians constitutes a grave violation of human rights.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Attacks directed against civilians constitute a breach of international humanitarian law, irrespective of the weapon used. We discourage states from using cluster munitions, and urge states not party to the Cluster Munitions Convention to accede without delay.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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 accuracy of reports of alleged human rights abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We recognise that there are human rights concerns in India-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. We encourage all states to ensure domestic laws are in line with international standards. Any allegations of human rights violations and abuses are deeply concerning and must be investigated thoroughly, promptly, transparently and independently.
We are in regular contact with the Governments of India and Pakistan and have discussed the situation in Kashmir, including the issue of human rights. We will continue to monitor the situation in Kashmir closely.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to acquire accurate information on the situation on the ground in Indian-administered Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are following the situation in Kashmir closely and are in regular contact with the Government of India and the Government of Pakistan. The Prime Minister has spoken to both Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Khan about the situation in Kashmir. The Foreign Secretary has spoken to the Indian Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar. The Minister for South Asia has discussed the situation with the Indian Minister for Minority Affairs and engages regularly with the Indian and Pakistani High Commissioners. In addition our High Commissions in New Delhi and Islamabad are also engaging the Indian and Pakistani Governments and monitoring events and developments closely. Events in Kashmir can have regional and international implications and we continue to urge calm and caution from all.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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 accuracy of claims made by the Pakistani Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari in a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that India has used cluster munitions in Kashmir.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are aware of reports of the use of cluster munitions by Indian security forces. We discourage states from using cluster munitions, and urge non-States Parties such as India to accede to the Cluster Munitions Convention without delay.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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 accuracy of reports of Uighur Muslim children in western Xinjiang being separated from their parents; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Reports about forced separation of children, including Dr Adrian Zenz's report of 4 July 2019, add to the growing body of evidence about the disturbing situation that Uyghurs and other minorities are facing in Xinjiang. We assess that there could be more than a million Uyghurs and other minorities who have been or are currently detained extra-judicially in detention camps in the province. As Mr Field explained in a Westminster Hall debate on 29 January 2019, these detentions have split up families and have had a significant impact on the children of those detained.
We also frequently raise our concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang bilaterally with the Chinese Government and in multilateral fora. Most recently on 3 July at the 41st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, we noted our increasing concern at the growing use of detention camps in Xinjiang and re-iterated our call on China to allow UN observers unrestricted access.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Iranian government on the detention of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Ministers and officials have raised Mrs Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's detention repeatedly, at all levels, with the Iranian government. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), and The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), raised Mrs Zaghari- Ratcliffe's case with their Iranian counterparts during the UN General Assembly in September. The Prime Minister followed up her concerns in writing to President Rouhani on 3 October. I also met with the Iranian Ambassador and Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, Richard Ratcliffe, on 7 December, and we will continue to raise these cases with the Iranian Government at every available opportunity.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
As I said to Parliament on 15 September, the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections in August were the freest, fairest and least violent in living memory. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) and The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) congratulated the Government of Sri Lanka on the peaceful elections and reiterated that the United Kingdom remains a steadfast partner on reconciliation and peace. The August elections in Sri Lanka have resulted in a government committed to reconciliation and peace building. President Sirisena set out his government’s priorities to Parliament on 1 September. These included constitutional reforms; abolishing the Executive Presidency; electoral reform; strengthening institutions; and reforming the public sector and welfare systems. While we recognise that more needs to be done there has been some early progress with constitutional reforms strengthening democratic checks and balances, some land previously under military use being returned and military Governors in the north and east being replaced by civilians. Within this context, on 16 September I welcomed the publication of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights report into allegations of serious violations and abuses of human rights in Sri Lanka.Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Israel and Palestine; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We closely monitor the political and security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed the future of the peace process, the situation on the ground and developments in the region with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 10 September. Most recently, we have been concerned by violence at the Temple Mount / Haram Al Sharif compound. I issued a statement on this matter on 16 September.Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
We follow developments in Kashmir closely. Officials from our High Commissions in Delhi and Islamabad regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with the governments of both India and Pakistan, and travel to the region periodically to see the situation on the ground for themselves.
The long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator. We encourage both sides to maintain positive dialogue, but the pace and scope of this is for them to determine.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ensure that any progress towards a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for India is made conditional on that country's compliance with UN resolutions relating to Kashmir.
Answered by Lord Swire
We fully support a permanent seat for India on the UN Security Council. On Kashmir it is our, long-standing position that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation there, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution nor to act as a mediator.