Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of revising its advice to UK citizens travelling to the United Arab Emirates as a result of the arrest of Matthew Hedges and Ali Issa Ahmad.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We keep all Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice, including for the United Arab Emirates, under constant review to ensure it reflects our assessment of risk to British nationals and includes information and advice on the most relevant issues for British nationals travelling or living abroad.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure a free and fair election in Turkey.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We have consistently encouraged Turkey to invite international election monitors to the forthcoming local elections. We are pleased that a delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has been invited to do so. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have engaged with the head of the delegation in advance of his visit. We will continue to urge Turkey to act upon the recommendations made by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe following the Presidential elections in June 2018, and will consider any further recommendations the Council of Europe may produce following the local elections.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on security and democracy of the appointment of unelected governors who are members of the AKP in towns and cities in Turkey with predominant Kurdish populations.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The decision to temporarily appoint state trustees in local municipalities is a decision for the Turkish Government. Nevertheless, we expect Turkey to undertake any legal processes against locally elected representatives fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law. It is important for Turkish democracy, as it would be for any country, that the results of upcoming local elections accurately reflect the wishes of the Turkish people.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the validity of the findings of the Council of Europe Venice Commission Opinion on Constitutional Arrangements and Separation of Powers and the Independence of the Judiciary and Law Enforcement in Malta.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I welcome the Government of Malta's engagement with rapporteurs from the Council of Europe's Venice Commission who visited Malta in November 2018, and Malta's acceptance of the Commission's findings. We encourage Prime Minister Muscat's Government to draw on the Venice Commission's offer of advice and expertise, as Europe's chief advisory body on constitutional law, to implement their recommendations. The UK stands ready to assist Malta to advance its law reform agenda in any way we can.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Malta on establishing a public inquiry to determine what the Maltese authorities (a) knew and (b) ought to have known of the real and immediate risk to the life of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I share the right honourable member's concern to see justice in the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The decision to establish a public inquiry is, nevertheless, a matter for the Maltese Government, who have said that a parliamentary inquiry could take place once the ongoing judicial process has been concluded. The UK is committed to the defence of the freedom of expression and the Foreign Secretary has launched a Media Freedom campaign on this very issue, and is keen to work with all international partners to support the safety and protection of journalists worldwide.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has plans to support the imposition of independent electoral observers in the upcoming Turkish Parliamentary elections.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We have urged Turkey to invite election monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe to observe the upcoming local elections, and to act upon the recommendations made by those bodies following the Presidential elections in June 2018.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 potential for (a) electoral fraud and (b) the violation of opposition parties by the authorities in Turkey during the upcoming parliamentary elections in that country; and if he will discuss those electoral issues with his counterpart in Turkey.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We have urged Turkey to act upon the recommendations made by Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe following the Presidential elections in June 2018, so that this can be applied to the forthcoming local elections. We have consistently encouraged the Turkish authorities to ensure that the electoral process is conducted fairly, professionally and transparently. It is important for Turkish democracy that the local elections accurately reflect the wishes of the Turkish people.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Prime Minister raised the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia at her meeting with Prime Minister Muscat of Malta on 11 February 2019.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK Government has closely followed the case of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia since the assassination on 16 October 2017. I raised the matter with the Maltese Foreign Minister, Carmelo Abela in April last year and the Home Secretary sought an update on the progress of the criminal investigation from the Maltese Interior Minister during a meeting held in London last November. As the judicial process runs its course, our High Commission in Valletta remains in close touch with the Maltese authorities and stands ready to consider any request for assistance.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times Government ministers (a) sought and (b) were granted authorisation under the Consolidated Guidance between 2015 and 2017.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Government has made it clear that Ministers must be consulted whenever UK intelligence and security personnel involved in an operation believe that a detainee is at serious risk of mistreatment by a foreign state. The Consolidated Guidance sets out the principles, consistent with UK domestic law and international law obligations, which govern the interviewing of detainees overseas and the passing and receipt of intelligence relating to detainees. The guidance is used by and must be adhered to by officers of the UK’s intelligence and security agencies, members of the UK’s armed forces and employees of the Ministry of Defence. The Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Lord Justice Fulford, has oversight of compliance of the Consolidated Guidance.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government provides to Saudi Arabian civil society to help them uphold the rule of law and fundamental human rights in the country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty, women’s rights and restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief. We raise our concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels of communication, including our Ambassador and the Embassy team in Riyadh.