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 potential effectiveness of imposing trade sanctions on Saudi Arabia to tackle human rights abuses in that 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.
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 recent representations the Government has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia on providing proof of life for (a) political detainees held in places such as the Ritz-Carlton and (b) female activists held in Riyadh.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We continue to raise our concerns about human rights in Saudi Arabia, including on the restrictions of freedom of expression.
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 recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on reports of the indefinite detention of senior political opponents in the Ritz-Carlton hotels and other places; and whether the Government will support a legal process to help bring those who are alleged to have committed illegal acts to justice.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are aware of media reports that a number of individuals remain in detention. We continue to raise our concerns about human rights in Saudi Arabia, including on the restrictions of freedom of expression.
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 Consolidated Guidance is applied to information sharing where there is a serious risk of the use of lethal force.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Consolidated Guidance sets out the principles governing the interviewing of detainees overseas and the passing and receipt of intelligence relating to detainees. The UK Government does not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment for any purpose. In a situation where there is a risk to detainees, the process set out in the Consolidated Guidance is applied
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 effectiveness of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessment made in respect of the Security, Justice and Reconciliation Programme in Iraq; and if he will lay that assessment before Parliament.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We have not conducted a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) assessments in respect of Security, Justice and Reconciliation Programmes in Iraq. However, OSJAs were conducted in line with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office OSJA guidance and all OSJAs are kept under regular review. The most recent review was conducted this month.
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 security, justice and reconciliation Programme in Iraq assists in the prosecution of individuals in Iraq’s criminal and counter-terrorism courts.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The security, justice and reconciliation programme in Iraq does not assist in the prosecution of individuals in Iraq's criminal and counter-terrorism courts. It aims to support the Government of Iraq to build stronger, more responsive and more accountable security sector institutions, and support the conditions for effective and sustainable community-level reconciliation.
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 effect on (a) land rights, (b) other human rights and (c) the environment of Chinese investment and infrastructure development projects in northern Myanmar.
Answered by Mark Field
Our Embassy maintains a dialogue with the Chinese Embassy in Burma about a wide range of issues, including respective investment and infrastructure development projects. However the Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact on (1) land rights, (2) human rights, or (3) the environment, of investment and infrastructure development projects by China in northern Burma.
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, with reference to the follow-on process to develop international best practice standards stemming from the US-led joint declaration on the export and subsequent use of armed or strike enabled UAVs, what the Government’s main goals are; and which international partners the Government is working with.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The US is leading the process to develop possible international best practice standards in this area. We are concerned by the possible misuse of armed and strike-enabled UAVs and welcome the initiative. The UK already has a robust set of export controls in place. We would like to ensure that any future best practice standards are consistent with, and add value to, existing multilateral export control and non-proliferation regimes, and encourage the maximum possible compliance.
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, with reference to the conclusion of the US-led joint declaration on the export and subsequent use of armed or strike-enabled UAVs, what steps the Government taking to develop those standards.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK signed a 'Joint Declaration on the Export & Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)' on 5 October 2016, along with 52 other States. The UK already has a robust set of export controls in place in relation to UAVs. Following the Joint Declaration, we are in discussion with a number of countries about developing a set of international best practice standards regarding the export of armed or strike-enabled UAVs. These discussions are continuing; it is not yet clear when they will conclude.
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, with reference to the appointment of Gina Haspel as director of the CIA, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the UK does not become complicit in facilitating or aiding the use of torture by any third party state cooperating in joint operations.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK Government stands firmly against torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. We do not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture for any purpose. The Consolidated Guidance sets out the principles, consistent with UK and international law, which govern the interviewing of detainees overseas and the passing and receipt of intelligence relating to detainees.
The UK-US relationship is grounded in our history and shared traditions. In both countries, intelligence work takes place within a strong legal framework.