Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 20 January 2021, Official Report, column 959, that that the attribution of genocide is a judicial matter, whether it is his policy that the recognition of genocide is a matter for the courts.

Genocide is an international crime with a strict legal meaning. It is the policy of the UK Government that any judgment on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for competent courts, rather than for governments or other non-judicial bodies. Competent courts include international courts and domestic criminal courts meeting international standards of due process. The determination as to whether a situation constitutes genocide is factually and legally complex and should only be made by a competent court following a careful and detailed examination.