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167204

registered interest
date	02/12/2014
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	Bangladesh
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they and the European Union High Representative on Foreign Affairs respectively have made to the government of Bangladesh about its Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Bill 2014.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL3305
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government is aware that the Government of Bangladesh has approved the draft Foreign Donations Act (FDA) to go to Parliament. We are following the development of the new legislation closely. The Government, EU and other like-minded partners raised our concerns over restricting civil society with the Government of Bangladesh during the drafting of the Act. This included the Department for International Development (DfID) Country Representative leading a delegation to report donors’ concerns over aspects of the Act.</p><p> </p><p>During the meeting between the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Bangladesh Prime Minister in July, both agreed on the importance of an open society and political system in which democratic political participation and media freedoms are respected. Most recently in October, the former DfID Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), set out UK concerns on the FDA during her visit to Bangladesh, stressing that the Act risked penalising genuine donor and civil society activity.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 10/12/2014 14:29:02 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

166835

registered interest
date	01/12/2014
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	UN Human Rights Council
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the report by the United Nations Association-UK <i>The UK's role on the UN Human Rights Council: Priorities for the UK's 2014–16 term</i>.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL3253
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2014 answer text <p>We welcome the contribution made by UN Association-UK (UNA-UK) to the discussion on the UK’s role in the Human Rights Council.</p><p>The Government shares much of the analysis contained in the report. We have already achieved or are working towards delivering on a number of the recommendations. For example, we champion the independence of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; the majority of UK funding to the Office of the High Commissioner is not tied to specific conditions; and we engage with UN human rights mechanisms and support civil society engagement.</p><p>We share the ambitions stated in the report to strengthen the UN human rights mechanisms, lead by example and stimulate change on the ground; though we do not agree with the proposed methodology in every instance. For example, the recommendation to lengthen the mandates of country specific Special Rapporteurs to three years could in some cases undermine the efforts of countries to address their domestic human rights concerns quickly. We will continue to work closely with civil society, including UNA-UK, on our priorities for our second year on the Human Rights Council. The UK will be standing at the November 2016 Human Rights Council elections for the consecutive (2017-2019) term.</p><p>As I said during the launch of the UNA-UK foreign policy manifesto, as the Minister responsible for global human rights policy, I see my role as setting direction for the years to come through the promotion and protection of human rights bilaterally and in multilateral fora, including in the Human Rights Council.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 15/12/2014 17:18:22 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

164481

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported deprivation of citizenship of former Bahraini nationals and of whether any of the persons concerned had access to the courts to challenge the decisions; and how many of those concerned are currently in the United Kingdom.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL3074
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government has raised repeatedly with the Government of Bahrain its decision to withdraw citizenship from 31 individuals in 2012. Ministers publicly expressed concern at the decision by the Cassation Court to uphold the life sentences of these individuals. We encourage the authorities to conduct full and transparent investigations into any of those accused of crimes and ensure that individuals are given a right of appeal against citizenship deprivation decisions. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold figures on the location of these individuals.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 03/12/2014 15:26:17 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

164482

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the arrest in November of women in Bahrain for establishing and organising a public referendum, inciting hatred against the regime and disrupting the elections there; and whether they consider that such charges are compatible with Articles 15, 17, 18, 19 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL3075
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>We are aware of the arrest of 15 women on 16 November on suspicion of disrupting the electoral process, belonging to an illegal group and calling for the overthrow of the government. We understand that all of them have now been released, but investigations into 12 individuals continue. Our Embassy in Bahrain will continue to monitor these cases.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 03/12/2014 15:31:22 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

164483

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about the reported attack by Bahraini security forces on Youssif Baddah in the village of Sitra on 19 November.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL3076
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>We understand that Youssif Baddah was injured by a tear gas canister while taking part in a demonstration on 19 November, and is currently undergoing medical treatment for his injury while under arrest. The British Government will continue to monitor the case and encourage the Government of Bahrain to ensure that due legal process is followed in this case and international norms of justice adhered to.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 03/12/2014 15:01:47 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

164484

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government when was the last time they met with Al-Wefaq, the opposition party in Bahrain; what is the rationale for their policy in respect of meeting that organisation; and what steps they have taken to evaluate that party’s boycott of the elections there on 22 November.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL3077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>Our Ambassador and his team in Bahrain and officials in London frequently meet senior members of Al-Wefaq. The British Government’s engagement with Al-Wefaq, as with all political societies in Bahrain, is focused on encouraging constructive engagement in political dialogue. It is disappointing that the opposition societies boycotted the elections on 22 November, but we are encouraged by the 51.5 per cent turnout, and welcome the participation of a broad range of candidates.</p><p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office halted engagement with all political societies, independent candidates and former members of parliament during the election period. We intend to re-engage when the new parliament is inaugurated in mid-December.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 03/12/2014 15:16:18 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

164485

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of Bahrain about its postponement of the visit by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL3078
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to agree a new date for a visit by the Special Rapporteur for Torture and to enhance its overall co-operation with UN institutions, including through visits by other Special Rapporteurs and UN officials. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 03/12/2014 15:02:42 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

156455

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
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	Sudan
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the United Nations Mission in Darfur to conduct a thorough investigation of reported mass rapes in Tabit during their visit on 4 November, in the light of the interruption of that visit by military intelligence personnel.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL2897
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text The refusal to allow the UN African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) access to Tabit on 4 November prevented them from conducting a thorough investigation in to the very serious allegations of mass rapes. Some access was subsequently possible on 9 November but we continue to call on the Government of Sudan to allow UNAMID full and unhindered access to Tabit. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 27/11/2014 14:54:53 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

155671

registered interest
date	17/11/2014
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	Sudan
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to suggest that the United Nations conducts an inquiry into the reported failure of the United Nations Mission in Darfur to report allegations received on 4 November of mass rape carried out between 31 October and 2 November in Tabit, Sudan.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL2855
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>The UN African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has stated that it was denied access by Government of Sudan forces when UNAMID tried to visit Tabit on 4 November. We are aware of other reports claiming UNAMID did gain access on 4 November but we have not seen evidence to support these claims. The UK is not at this time pushing for an inquiry into UNAMID’s actions on 4 November. We note that UNAMID was granted access to Tabit on 9 November, but are concerned by reports that their investigations took place under the close observation of Sudanese security officials. We urge both UNAMID and the Government of Sudan to immediately take forward their investigations so that the full facts around the deeply disturbing allegation of mass rape in Tabit can be established.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 01/12/2014 15:20:01 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

105744

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
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	Sudan
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the government of Sudan's policy in respect of arming rebels in South Sudan, supporting armed jihadists in Africa and the Middle East, and destroying crops in South Kordofan.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL2562
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>We are deeply concerned at reports of government aerial bombardments targeting civilian farms and agricultural production in South Kordofan and frequently raise our concerns about the ongoing conflict in the Two Areas directly with the Government of Sudan and through multilateral forums such as the UN Security Council discussions. In respect of South Sudan the UK has been at the forefront of an effective EU arms embargo aimed at stopping the proliferation of arms across the region. The UK continues to work with partners to enforce this embargo. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not seen evidence of the Government of Sudan violent Islamist extremist groups, but we maintain dialogue with the Government of Sudan on wider radicalisation concerns in Sudan and the region.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 17/11/2014 15:26:53 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury