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514670

registered interest
date	21/04/2016
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	Islamic State
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Anelay of St Johns to the private notice question from Lord Alton of Liverpool on 21 April, which members of the United Nations Security Council they believe would veto a referral to the International Criminal Court of evidence of genocide against Christian, Yazidi and other minorities in Iraq and Syria.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL7816
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2016 answer text <p>The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh in her press statement of 8 April 2015. It is not possible to refer Daesh itself to the ICC. Any referral would cover ALL potential crimes against international humanitarian law within a specified geographic area, rather than a specified organisation or set of actors.</p><p>When efforts were made to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC in 2014, it was vetoed by Russia and China. We expect that any Security Council resolution at this time seeking to refer the situations in Iraq or Syria to the ICC would likewise be blocked.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 03/05/2016 11:12:25 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

514671

registered interest
date	21/04/2016
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	Genocide
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that non-judicial bodies such as the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the US House of Representatives are competent to make a declaration that a genocide is underway; and whether they consider that the UK Parliament can do so, and if not, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL7817
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2016 answer text <p>The Government believes that recognition of genocide should be a matter for judicial decision. It should be a legal, rather than political determination, decided by judges after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. Political pronouncements on whether genocide has occurred, such as the European Parliament resolution, are not legally binding and do not create legal obligations on member states.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 27/04/2016 15:18:40 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

514672

registered interest
date	21/04/2016
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	Islamic State
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that witness statements by potential genocide survivors in Iraq and Syria are given to the International Criminal Court and that the collection of forensic evidence and the protection of mass graves is prioritised.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL7818
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2016 answer text <p>In Syria, the UK is supporting the work of non-governmental organisations who are gathering evidence of human rights violations. This is being done to the international standard required for criminal prosecution against high level perpetrators in a domestic or international court. In Iraq, we are considering how the UK might best complement similar efforts already underway with funds from other donor countries.</p><p>Cases are being prepared for international prosecution should a referral to the International Criminal Court be forthcoming or should individuals be subject to litigation by hybrid, specialised or national courts. We are therefore doing everything we can to assist in the gathering and preservation of evidence that could in future be used by judicial bodies to make a judgement on this matter. It is vital that this is done now, before evidence is lost or destroyed.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 28/04/2016 15:32:08 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

514692

registered interest
date	21/04/2016
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	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Public Expenditure
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the budget apportioned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is sufficient for the development of the knowledge, understanding and policy sophistication required in respect of the Islamic world.
tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
uin	HL7838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2016 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is devoting considerable resource to strengthening the organisation’s expertise and skills, including geographical, language and other relevant expertise, such as understanding the Islamic world. The opening of the FCO’s Diplomatic Academy last year has given new impetus and structure to this work. There is a growing range of formal and informal learning in London and throughout the FCO network, including better sharing of knowledge internally and increased access to external expertise. We put time and effort into understanding political trends globally including the “Islamic” element of political Islam. Our online Foundation Level course includes a basic religious literacy module. Our diplomatic missions report regularly on trends in political Islam and our research analyst cadre provide in-depth expertise, analysis and links to academics and think tanks. The FCO's Human Rights and Democracy Department run training courses on religion and foreign policy which serve as a practitioner level religion/foreign policy module for the Diplomatic Academy. We also offer training on contemporary Islam and its role within politics and society in various regional contexts.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 28/04/2016 15:34:30 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

514693

registered interest
date	21/04/2016
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	Diplomatic Service: Arabic
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK Heads of Mission in Arabic-speaking countries speak Arabic.
tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
uin	HL7839
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2016 answer text <p>In the Middle East and North Africa region approximately 95 per cent of our Heads of Mission speak Arabic or other local languages (e.g. French or Hebrew).</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 28/04/2016 15:34:43 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

514747

registered interest
date	21/04/2016
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	Indonesia: Religious Freedom
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 the President of Indonesia on the protection of religious minorities in that country.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	35048
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text We take freedom of religion or belief seriously. Our Ambassador in Jakarta has raised these issues with the Minister of Religious Affairs, Indonesian civil society, and religious leaders. He urged them to ensure the rights of all individuals to practise their religion or belief freely were fully respected and protected. answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 26/04/2016 13:56:54 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

514297

registered interest
date	20/04/2016
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of China about (1) reports of a pastor’s wife who was buried alive during the demolition of a church in Henan Province; (2) the demolition of churches, and the imprisonment and detention of religious leaders; and (3) the disappearance of several Catholic priests in Hebei Province.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL7787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2016 answer text <p>We pay close attention to the human rights situation in China. We were concerned by reports that Ding Cuimei was buried alive on 14 April while protesting at the demolition of a church in Henan Province. We intend to raise Ding’s case at the next round of the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.</p><p>We are aware of reports of the closure or demolition of churches and that individuals are being harassed or detained for their beliefs. We are aware, too, of reports of the recent disappearance of a number of Catholic priests in Hebei Province, such as Father Yang Jianwei. We are concerned by all instances where the whereabouts of detainees remains undisclosed, and where detainees are held without access to legal counsel or visits from relatives.</p><p>We continue to raise the full range of our concerns about freedom of religion and the restrictions placed on Christianity with the Chinese authorities. We also place on record our concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy, published on 21 April, and in updates to it.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/05/2016 12:56:34 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

514302

registered interest
date	20/04/2016
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	Bahrain: Administration of Justice
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make an urgent appeal to HM the King of Bahrain for clemency in the cases of Mr Mohamed Ramadan and Mr Hussein Ali Musa.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL7792
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2016 answer text <p>The Government regularly discusses human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain. Although there has been a de facto moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Bahrain since 2010, we are concerned that a number of individuals have received death sentences since then. The UK’s opposition to the death penalty is well known. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised the cases of Mr Mohamed Ramadan and Mr Husain Al Moosa with the Bahraini Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, on 8 March. We continue to monitor these cases closely.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 27/04/2016 15:17:36 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

514303

registered interest
date	20/04/2016
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	Turkey: Refugees
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Turkey about the recently reported killings by Turkish forces of Syrians, including women and children, attempting to flee into Turkey; whether they will call for compensation to be paid to survivors in those families; and what assessment they have made of whether those killings undermine the principles of the EU's agreement with Turkey about refugees and migrants.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL7793
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2016 answer text <p>We regularly raise with the Government of Turkey issues relating to the management of the border with Syria and the treatment of refugees. We are aware of allegations of civilians being shot trying to cross the border from Syria into Turkey but have seen no evidence to substantiate them. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is also unable to confirm these allegations, which have been strongly refuted by the Government of Turkey.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 27/04/2016 15:18:04 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

514449

registered interest
date	20/04/2016
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	Maldives: Politics and Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 29629, if the Government will make it its policy to introduce targeted sanctions against individual members of the Maldivian government if the recommendations of the Commonwealth Action Group are not implemented in the next 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Burnley
tabling member printed	Julie Cooper
uin	34773
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2016 answer text Following its meeting on 20 April, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) set a revised deadline of September for clear and measurable progress to be delivered in the six areas of concern, identified at their previous meeting in February. It will be for CMAG to assess what progress has been made by September and to decide what collective action may be required. If CMAG assesses sufficient steps have not been taken, the UK will carefully consider appropriate bilateral action to help support reform efforts in the Maldives. answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 28/04/2016 13:30:39 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4405 label Biography information for Julie Cooper