Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the view expressed by the then Prime Minister in 2016, speaking about events in Syria and northern Iraq, that “there is a very strong case here for saying that it is genocide, and I hope that it will be portrayed and spoken of as such”, what assessment they have made of the extent to which actions taken in those areas constitute genocide.

It is UK policy that any determination on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for competent judicial bodies, rather than for governments. The UK is fully committed to the principle that there must be no impunity for the most serious international crimes. We continue to voice our support for this principle, and continue to support the work of the International Criminal Court and the international tribunals to tackle impunity for these crimes.