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228970

registered interest
date	23/03/2015
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	Ilois: Resettlement
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will meet commitments made before the 2010 election to arrive at a just and fair settlement of the issue of the exile of the Chagos Islanders in the light of the award of 18 March by the Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in the case of Chagos Marine Protected Area Arbitration (<i>Mauritius v. United Kingdom</i>), and the conclusion by the KPMG report commissioned by the then Foreign Secretary that return by the islanders is feasible.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL5935
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 24 March on Progress in reviewing policy on resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), (HLWS440). In relation to the Arbitral Tribunal, it remains the case that there is no question about the UK’s sovereignty of BIOT and we have always maintained that the Marine Protected Area is not a bar to resettlement.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 26/03/2015 12:44:03 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

227415

registered interest
date	16/03/2015
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	Vietnam
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to pursue the recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Professor Heiner Bielefeldt, in his report A/HRC/28/66/Add.2 on freedom of religion and belief in Vietnam, at (1) the United Nations, (2) the United Nations Human Rights Council and (3) in their direct communications with the government of Vietnam.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL5736
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2015 answer text The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised our human rights concerns at his recent visit to Vietnam, both during the Strategic Dialogue and in a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh on 27 February. Our Embassy in Hanoi also works closely with Embassies of likeminded countries to ensure freedom of religion or belief is raised regularly with the Vietnamese authorities, for example at the EU-Vietnam human rights dialogue in January. In our annual Human Rights Report we highlighted our concerns about vague provisions within the current penal code of Vietnam, including the article highlighted in the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations, and encouraged the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take appropriate steps. We also played a full role in the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Vietnam in 2014. We will continue to champion the UN’s special procedure mechanisms and urge all UN member states to offer an open invitation to and cooperate with Rapporteurs on country visits. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 25/03/2015 14:23:23 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

227061

registered interest
date	12/03/2015
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	Bangladesh
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the charges against the Bangladesh Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia announced by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the Bangladesh Parliament on 11 March.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL5700
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2015 answer text We are aware of the two corruption charges against the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Khaleda Zia, and we are monitoring the legal process closely. To promote confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of law, it is essential that the criminal justice system in Bangladesh is seen to be impartial. We therefore hope that any action taken is in accordance with Bangladesh’s due legal process and that Khaleda Zia is accorded the rights to which every citizen in Bangladesh is entitled. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 25/03/2015 14:18:28 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

222741

registered interest
date	23/02/2015
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	Bangladesh
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will propose to the United Nations Secretary-General that he suggest to the government and opposition in Bangladesh that they should invite him to appoint a mediator acceptable to both sides to help them reach an agreement that would put an end to the violence in Bangladesh and reach a political solution to their differences.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL5082
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2015 answer text <p>We welcome the news that the United Nations Secretary General has written to Prime Minister Hasina and the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and we continue to encourage the UN to maintain their engagement in Bangladesh. It is important that the political parties do all they can to build confidence with each other, put an end to the violence and defuse the tension across the country.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 09/03/2015 16:24:07 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

174072

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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	Saudi Arabia
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to imposing sanctions on Saudi Arabian ministers responsible for legislation providing for sentences of cruel and unusual punishments, particularly for acts permitted under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL4175
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p>Currently there are no sanctions in place for Saudi Arabia and we have not considered imposing them on Saudi Arabia.</p><p>The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Mr Grayling), and the Saudi Minister of Justice, Dr Al Issa, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will further help us to support Saudi Arabia’s reform efforts in the judicial sector.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 23/01/2015 12:36:02 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

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