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747973

registered interest
date	04/07/2017
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to ban the Jehovah's Witnesses on the grounds that the group is considered to be an extremist organisation.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL427
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK is deeply concerned by the dismissal of an appeal against the decision of Russia's Supreme Court to categorise the Jehovah's Witnesses as extremists. This ruling effectively criminalises the peaceful worship of some 175,000 Russian citizens and is at odds with the right to religious freedom which is enshrined in the Russian Constitution.</p><p>I issued a statement on 18 July expressing our concerns. We have raised this issue with the Russian Government and continue to call on them to uphold their commitment to this basic freedom in international fora, including in the Council of Europe.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 19/07/2017 15:57:06 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

747974

registered interest
date	04/07/2017
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the peace accord between the government of the Central African Republic and 13 armed groups, signed in Rome on 19 June.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL428
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2017 answer text <p>Her Majesty's Government welcomes the peace accord, signed on 19 June. However, we remain concerned by continued violence between armed groups in the Central African Republic, which is causing heavy civilian loss of life and significant population displacement, despite the agreement including an immediate cessation of hostilities. We call on all armed group leaders immediately to implement the cessation provisions in the agreement as well as to honour their commitment, without any restriction, to the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation process.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 13/07/2017 14:40:08 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

747975

registered interest
date	04/07/2017
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation facing Bahá'ís and other religious minorities in Yemen.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government is concerned about the situation faced by the Bahá'ís in Yemen. This is particularly the case in areas under the control of the Houthis and forces loyal to ex-president Saleh, where they have faced persecution due to their religious beliefs. The UK has raised the issue with the Government of Yemen and highlighted their plight through public diplomacy. Mr Burt, the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, also met with representatives of the Bahá'í community on 13 July.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 19/07/2017 15:56:43 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

747976

registered interest
date	04/07/2017
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Tajikistan’s commitment to freedom of religion of belief following the decision by the State Committee for Religious Affairs to ban anyone under the age of 40 from participating in the August Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2017 answer text <p>The restrictions on freedom of religion in Tajikistan are a growing concern and indicative of Tajikistan's heavy-handed approach to countering extremism. Our Embassy in Dushanbe raises concerns over human rights issues both bilaterally and in collaboration with the EU and like-minded partners​.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 18/07/2017 17:00:24 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

747977

registered interest
date	04/07/2017
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include freedom of religion or belief on the agenda of the 2018 Commonwealth Summit.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL431
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government believes that the Commonwealth is a force for good around the world, through its promotion of freedom, democracy, human rights, development and prosperity.</p><p>The UK-hosted 2018 Commonwealth Summit will encourage all Commonwealth members to uphold the values set out in the Commonwealth Charter, and this includes freedom of religion and belief. We are currently working on finalising the key themes and agenda for the summit which will include a focus on shared values and the human rights agenda.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 17/07/2017 11:31:05 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

747373

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Indonesia that Indonesia's blasphemy laws will not be applied in a discriminatory manner, including against those who do not practise one of the six religions recognised under Indonesian law.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL337
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>We raise these issues regularly and appropriately with the Indonesian government. We supported the EU statement, issued following the conviction of the former governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (known as 'Ahok') on blasphemy charges. This called on the Indonesian government, its institutions and its people to continue the long standing tradition of tolerance and pluralism in Indonesia and stated that laws criminalising blasphemy when applied in a discriminatory manner can have a serious inhibiting effect on freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Our Ambassador to Indonesia also publicly expressed concern about the blasphemy verdict against 'Ahok' on social media. More generally, and in meetings with political and religious leaders, the Ambassador and Embassy officials have actively cautioned against mixing issues of race, ethnicity and religion with politics.</p><p>In addition, we are also supporting the Indonesian parliament in their ongoing revision of the Indonesian Penal Code to encourage respect for human rights, including freedom of religion.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 17/07/2017 16:52:25 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

747374

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist the government of Indonesia in strengthening Indonesia's resilience to violent extremism.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL338
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>The British Government has provided resilience assistance to the Indonesian government since the appalling terrorist attacks in Bali in 2002. Since then, the UK has supported Indonesian efforts to improve its capabilities in disrupting terrorist activity in Indonesia, particularly through the work of the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) which provides training to law enforcement officials and enables sharing of UK expertise. We remain concerned by current trends in violent extremism in Indonesia, including terrorist attacks such as in central Jakarta in January 2016. We are supporting work to increase community resilience to extremism as well as continuing efforts with the Indonesian authorities to counter violent extremism. This includes support for legal reform as well as the promotion of human rights.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 17/07/2017 16:56:39 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

731098

registered interest
date	21/06/2017
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	Radicalism
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to expand their global efforts to combat extremism, terror and the perpetration of violence against people because of their faith, gender or sexuality.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2017 answer text <p>​This Government firmly believes that all people should be able to live free from violence regardless of their religion or belief, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We work to protect and promote human rights through the UK's Counter-Extremism Strategy. Community engagement is crucial for tackling hatred and intolerance and forms an important part of our efforts to tackle extremism in the UK and overseas. Our international effort is aimed at safeguarding the UK by mobilising the international system and building capacity to tackle violent extremism and the idealogical basis of associated extremism effectively. Implementation of the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism is central to this effort as is the UN Global CT Strategy. We are working closely with international partners to give further momentum to the UN's efforts.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/07/2017 16:32:42 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

731099

registered interest
date	21/06/2017
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	Religious Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to create an ambassador-level champion for freedom of religion or belief.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL107
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2017 answer text <p>Her Majesty's Government remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We continue to actively seek ways to improve the efforts of overseas posts working to support religious freedom. Through our bilateral meetings, we raise individual cases and highlight practices and laws that discriminate against people on the basis of their religion or belief. In 2017/18 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will spend approximately £750,000 on six FoRB projects across a range of countries, including Pakistan and Iraq. Whilst the Government has not created an Ambassador-level champion for FoRB, I have this issue a key priority for my team as the Minsiter responsible. I will seek to review this proposal on a periodic basis.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/07/2017 16:49:18 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

731100

registered interest
date	21/06/2017
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan regarding the death sentence handed down by Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Court on 10 June to Taimoor Raza, a Shi'a Muslim, for allegedly committing blasphemy on Facebook.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL108
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK remains firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. We have repeatedly called upon the Government of Pakistan to end capital punishment and, at a minimum, commit publicly to renewing the previously imposed moratorium on the death penalty. We regularly raise our concerns about freedom of expression and the misuse of the blasphemy laws with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report.</p><p>The Foreign Secretary raised religious tolerance and misuse of the blasphemy laws during his visit to Pakistan in November 2016. Mr Sharma, in his previous role as Minister for Asia, discussed the death penalty and the importance we attach to freedom of expression with Kamran Michael, Pakistani Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Human Rights, during his visit to Pakistan in January 2017.</p><p>The Government will continue to urge Pakistan to honour, promote and protect its human rights obligations, including those related to the death penalty and freedom of expression and religion.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 03/07/2017 15:15:09 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry