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348614

registered interest
date	04/06/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	North Korea: Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Department is taking to tackle the persecution of Christians in North Korea.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	1165
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 13 January 2015 (PQ <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-01-07/220024/" target="_blank">220024</a>). We remain concerned at the continuing reports of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The DPRK’s stance and lack of international engagement on human rights concerns remains unchanged, with the DPRK maintaining its rejection of the United Nation’s (UN’s) Commission of Inquiry report. We continue to work in international fora to press for action that seriously addresses DPRK’s human rights issues. UK officials raised human rights concerns with the DPRK Embassy in London. We continue to urge the DPRK government to respect its provisions for human rights, as enshrined in the DPRK own constitution, which include “freedom of belief in religion”. Our Embassy in Pyongyang has raised human rights including freedom of religious beliefs with DPRK officials and encouraged the DPRK to implement the recommendations of the UN’s Universal Periodic Review, including those on freedom of religion. We look forward to the opening of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' field office in Seoul later this month (as mandated in resolution A/HRC/RES/25/25) and to supporting its work.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 10/06/2015 14:10:54 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

348651

registered interest
date	04/06/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Burma: Prisoners
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Burmese counterpart seeking the release of Philip Blackwood, Tun Thurein and Htut Ko Ko Lwin from prison in that country.
tabling member constituency	Walsall South
tabling member printed	Valerie Vaz
uin	1235
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p>We continue to monitor these cases and provide consular support and advice to the New Zealand Embassy in Rangoon on Mr Blackwood’s case. Our Embassy in Rangoon regularly lobbies the Burmese government on issues of fundamental rights including freedom of expression. While we have not raised these cases bilaterally, there will an opportunity to raise freedom of expression cases during the EU Burma Human Rights Dialogue on 18 June.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 10/06/2015 14:14:34 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4076 label Biography information for Valerie Vaz

348265

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	China: Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Chinese government on the promotion of Christianity in China.
tabling member constituency	North Antrim
tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
uin	977
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p>Freedom of religion or belief is a human rights priority anchored in the Government’s manifesto. We regularly urge governments around the world to protect the right of all individuals, including Christians, to practise their religion or belief free from persecution or discrimination. <br><br>We remain concerned by all restrictions to freedom of religion or belief in China, including restrictions against Christianity. We are aware of reports that some church members have been harassed or detained, and that a number of churches in Zhejiang Province in particular have been forced to remove their crosses, close or be destroyed. <br><br>We raised these, and our broad range of concerns around religious freedom, directly with Chinese officials during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April this year. We have also highlighted them publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (<a href="http://www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk/" target="_blank">www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk</a>).</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 10/06/2015 14:00:07 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

348113

registered interest
date	02/06/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	North Korea: Human Rights
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK is able to identify those responsible for human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; and what steps the Government is taking to impose sanctions on North Korean officials similar to the financial sanctions imposed by HM Treasury on people responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran and Ukraine.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	726
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p>Since the publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry report on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the UK has worked with the EU and our like-minded partners to ensure momentum is maintained on the human rights situation in the DPRK. This includes contributing to strong resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly as well as supporting discussion of DPRK human rights by the UN Security Council in December 2014. We continue to discuss with other governments how the international community can work together to improve human rights in the DPRK.</p><p> </p><p>Existing UN and EU sanctions against the DPRK are based upon UN Security Council Resolutions prohibiting the further development of the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Any introduction of sanctions on human rights grounds would require the establishment of a new sanctions regime at UN or EU level. Identifying individuals or entities with the degree of legal certainty required for sanctions listing would be difficult. Existing sanctions against Iran and Russia (as a result of action in Ukraine) are both at the EU level. The UK does not impose unilateral sanctions.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 10/06/2015 13:52:19 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

348121

registered interest
date	02/06/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	North Korea: Human Rights
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what human rights conditions are attached to the UK's cultural engagement projects inside the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	783
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p>The UK’s policy of critical engagement enables us to directly express to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the UK and international community’s concerns regarding the DPRK’s nuclear weapons programme and human rights situation. We use educational and cultural projects to encourage the DPRK citizens/population to better understand the outside world and the opportunities that reform, including on human rights, could bring. The UN Commission of Inquiry report on the human rights situation in the DPRK recommended that States and civil society organisations foster opportunities for people-to-people dialogue and contact in areas including culture. While a direct impact on human rights is not a condition for all Foreign and Commonwealth Office engagement projects, we consider carefully the impact of all project activities on the human rights situation in the DPRK when deciding whether or not to undertake a project.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 10/06/2015 13:57:05 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce