The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he intends to reply to the letter of 8 April 2016 on the death of Claire Martin in Italy from the hon. Member for Ashfield.
Mr David Lidington
I responded to the letter from the hon. Member for Ashfield on the 18th May 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the demolition of Bedouin homes at Jabal Al-Baba in East Jerusalem.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We condemn the demolition of Bedouin homes at Jabal Al-Baba, which is a particularly vulnerable community in East Jerusalem. We are extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has not specifically discussed this issue with his counterpart. However, our Embassy in Tel Aviv continues to raise our concern about demolitions regularly with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 15 May. We call on Israel to provide a legal route for Palestinians to obtain building permits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Kinnock on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart to (a) re-open Turkey’s borders to Syrian asylum seekers and (b) conduct independent investigations on alleged attacks on Syrian asylum seekers by Turkish border guards.
Mr David Lidington
We are aware of the allegations of the use of lethal force against civilians trying to cross the border from Syria into Turkey. We are unable to verify these allegations, as is the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The allegations have been strongly refuted by the Government of Turkey. We regularly raise with the Government of Turkey issues relating to the management of the border with Syria and the treatment of refugees. Turkey is hosting over 2.7million Syrian refugees. We understand that the Turkish government has made preparations to accept more Syrian refugees should conditions in Syria necessitate so, but that its approach is to enable humanitarian aid to be provided to affected populations in northern Syria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the President of Sri Lanka on (a) the implementation of UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1 and (b) the involvement of foreign judges and prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes during the Sri Lankan civil war since the last ministerial visit to Sri Lanka.
Mr Hugo Swire
We regularly discuss progress and developments in Sri Lanka with the government, including on UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution 30/1. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) did so when he met President Sirisena on 12 May and our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka did so on 10 May. I also discussed this with the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Samaraweera when I visited Sri Lanka in January. We encourage the government to implement fully its commitments to the UNHRC resolution on reconciliation, accountability and human rights, and look forward to the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ assessment of Sri Lanka’s progress in June.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the Government permits the 35 people named under the US Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 to (a) hold assets in the UK and (b) be issued with UK visas.
Richard Harrington
As we have previously made clear, the Magnitsky case remains of serious concern to the UK Government.
The UK Government has powers in relation to assets that are very similar to those available to the United States under the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012. These powers are under regular review and the Government will consider further legislation if and when the evidence suggests it is necessary.
Wherever we have evidence that individuals were involved in the Magnitsky case, that evidence is taken very carefully into account in considering visa applications.
For reasons of data protection the Government does not routinely comment on individuals’ asset holdings or immigration cases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the health condition of Kamal Foroughi in Iran; and what assessment he has made of the level of Mr Foroughi’s access to appropriate medical care.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have raised our concerns about Mr Foroughi’s health with the Iranian Government and continue to lobby them at the highest level at every opportunity, requesting consular access for officials, access to lawyers and appropriate access to medical treatment. Most recently, on 18 May, I raised our concerns for Mr Foroughi’s health with the Iranian Charge d’affaires. We continue to ask for his early release on humanitarian grounds given his age and medical history.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Iranian government on the imprisonment of seven Bahá’í leaders.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK regularly raises our concerns at the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Ethiopian government on the cases of Tibebu Mekuria, Dawit Jemberu and Belete Tilahun.
James Duddridge
We are aware of the ongoing court case of Tibebu Mekuria, Dawit Jemberu and Belete Tilahun, who were convicted of burning down the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Gulema Iyesus in June 2015. As all three are still pursuing their appeal case through the courts in Ethiopia, with their final appeal hearing set for the 29 June, it would be inappropriate to comment on their case at this time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Iranian government on the imprisonment of Ebrahim Firouzi and other Christians in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
I discuss many issues with my Iranian counterpart. Restriction of freedom of expression, religion and belief continue to cause concern. I have repeatedly called on the Iranian government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians, regardless of belief
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of China on the case of the disabled rights lawyer Ni Yulan who has recently been placed under house arrest in that country.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office monitors the human rights situation in China closely, and we are concerned by the treatment of Ni Yulan, both her house arrest and the credible reports of harassment of her and her family. A senior British diplomat met Ni Yulan in March. Five diplomats from other countries were prevented from visiting Ni at her home last month. We will continue to press the Chinese authorities for access. We plan to raise Ni’s case at the next round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.
More widely, I remain concerned by the harassment and detention of human rights defenders in China. We continue to urge the Chinese authorities to respect and protect freedom of expression and association, in line with its constitution and the international frameworks to which China is a party.