Tag: 2024

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 June 2024.

Ambassador Neil Holland recalls the vital contribution of media freedom to security in the OSCE region, and calls on Russia and Belarus to live up to their OSCE commitments.

Thank you Madam Chair, and welcome back to the Permanent Council Madam Representative, dear Teresa. Thank you for your detailed report and your broader reflections on the Helsinki Spirit. The UK commends your personal commitment to upholding your mandate at a time of increasing challenges which you describe with great skill in your presentation.

As you have consistently argued, there can be no security without media freedom. Since 1975, all OSCE participating States have – as you remind us – accepted individuals’ right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas without interference. The UK will remain a strong supporter of the mandate for the Representative on Freedom of the Media.

Securing media freedom requires continued investment and effort in all participating States. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your work with the UK on our approach to online safety and the safety of journalists.

As you note in your report, Madam Ribeiro, journalists and other media workers face torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, intimidation, and harassment in many parts of the OSCE region.

According to UNESCO’s Observatory of Killed Journalists, fourteen journalists have been killed in the line of work since Russia’s full scale, illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia continues to persecute dissenting voices in Ukrainian territory under its temporary control, as it has been doing in Crimea since 2014. Since 2012 the free media inside Russia has been silenced. The September 2022 Moscow Mechanism report showed a clear correlation between Russia’s internal repression and its external aggression. Sadly, as you note in your report, Russia’s relentless domestic crackdown on media freedom continues today, including through ongoing imprisonment and harassment of journalists and media workers.

Last year’s Moscow Mechanism report found that freedom of expression in Belarus has been seriously undermined. Legislation can target any independent voice, particularly critics of government or of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. Anyone who administers social media networks or communication channels for listed so-called “extremists” can face serious charges, even of terrorism.

Such actions are not compatible with participating States’ obligations under international law and their OSCE commitments. So the UK once again calls on Russia and Belarus to live up to their OSCE principles and commitments, to enable freedom for the media to report on matters of public interest without undue interference, threats, and intimidation.

Teresa, thank you again for your commitment to your mandate and your professionalism in the defence of media freedom. And many thanks to your dedicated team. I assure you that the UK will continue to reiterate – in this Council and beyond – the importance of free media for peace and security in the OSCE region. We wish you all the very best for whatever comes next.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 June 2024.

British High Commission Dhaka celebrated the official birthday of His Majesty King Charles III on 12 June 2024 in Dhaka.

Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, MP, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Education, Government of Bangladesh, graced the reception as the guest of honour. A wide range of dignitaries from the Government of Bangladesh; Bangladesh Parliament; the Diplomatic Corps and representatives from the fields of trade, business, academia, social development, arts, culture, media and sports joined the celebration.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Sarah Cooke, said

“It is my pleasure to host this reception to celebrate the official birthday of His Majesty King Charles III.

“It is also an opportunity to celebrate the strength of the UK-Bangladesh partnership, based on our deep shared history; our strong cultural and people-to-people links; and our Commonwealth ties”.

Notes to editors

The King’s Birthday Party is celebrated by British High Commissions and Embassies around the world. This year, The King turns 76 on 14 Nov.

His Majesty The King is Head of the Commonwealth, which is a family of 56 countries working together for prosperity, democracy and peace.

The British High Commission Dhaka’s King’s Birthday Party 2024 was supported by: HSBC (Platinum Partner); Le Meridien Dhaka (Hospitality Partner); and Unilever and Standard Chartered Bank (Diamond Partners).

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 June 2024.

The governments of the United States of America, Canada, and the United Kingdom gave a statement on Russian actions in the leadup to the Moldovan presidential election.

Statement by the governments of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America:

We, the governments of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, are united in confronting Russia’s aggression and subversion against democratic societies.  We continue to support Ukraine as it defends its freedom and independence from Russia’s illegal and unjustified full-scale invasion.  We also stand firmly against persistent Kremlin attempts to use disinformation, criminal and covert activities, and corruption to undermine sovereignty and democratic processes.

Free, fair, and independent elections are the cornerstone of any democratic society.  We have consistently witnessed Russia’s attempts to influence, subvert, and undermine democratic elections in order to secure results favorable to the Kremlin.

This threat is especially relevant in 2024, a year when hundreds of millions of people across Europe and North America go to the polls to select their leaders in European, national, regional, and local elections.

The Kremlin relies on lies, deceit, corruption and disinformation to undermine sovereignty and democracy.  While democracy thrives on openness and truth-telling, authoritarianism and disinformation depend on secrecy and deception.

We want to address today the Kremlin’s actions in Moldova.  President Maia Sandu and Moldova’s security institutions have warned that the Kremlin is seeking to undermine Moldovan democratic institutions in the leadup to the October presidential elections and a referendum on Moldova’s EU membership.  We share President Sandu’s strong concerns about the Kremlin’s use of criminal groups to finance political activities and undermine Moldova’s democratic institutions.  We commend Moldova’s leaders for continuing to capably manage these threats, build resilience, and maintain peace and security, while driving forward democratic reforms and reviving the country’s economy.

That is why today, in defense of our shared democratic values, we are taking this step to warn our democratic partners and Allies that Russian actors are carrying out a plot to influence the outcomes of Moldova’s fall 2024 presidential election.  They intend to incite protests in Moldova should a pro-Russia candidate not win.

They seek to foment negative public perceptions of Western governments and Moldova’s incumbent leadership, while degrading public confidence in Moldova’s ability to secure itself and maintain rule of law.

Russia is currently supporting candidates for Moldova’s presidency and is exacerbating societal tensions.  These Russian actors are actively using disinformation and propaganda online, on the air, and on the streets to further their objectives.

They are agitating criticism of the incumbent Moldovan president’s government and political party, in order to incite protests.

Part of these operations would include spreading lies about the incumbent president’s character and intentions, and about supposed electoral irregularities.

If Russia’s election meddling proves unsuccessful in Moldova, there is reason to believe Moscow will work to incite protests.

Russia’s political interference in Moldova in the lead-up to the October election goes back years.  For example, personnel of state-funded media outlet RT have been involved in providing direct support to fugitive Moldovan Ilan Shor for several years with Russian government assent.  All three of our governments have sanctioned Shor for his destabilizing electoral activities.

We have full confidence in Moldova’s ability to manage these threats linked to the Kremlin’s interference.  We are taking a range of measures to support those efforts as part of our partnership with Moldova and its people.  We have shared the information outlined above, and additional details, with our Moldovan partners so that they can further investigate, thwart, and disrupt the Kremlin’s plans.  We will continue to work closely with the Moldovan government on this.

We will also continue to promote accountability for those involved in these Kremlin-sponsored schemes to covertly finance political activities in Moldova.  And we have sanctioned – and will continue to take action against – those individuals and entities attempting to destabilize Moldova’s democratic institutions.

We will continue to support Moldova and the Moldovan people as they manage Kremlin interference and the impacts of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine.  We strongly support Moldova’s democratic, economic, security, and anti-corruption reforms.

By revealing the Kremlin’s plot, we are making it clear to Moscow that we stand for free and fair elections and will not tolerate its attempts to meddle and undermine democratic processes.  We urge the Kremlin to abandon these efforts to subvert Moldova’s democracy and to respect its sovereignty and the outcomes of free, fair, and independent elections.

We will continue to stand with all of our friends, partners, and Allies in defense of our shared democratic values and freedoms.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 June 2024.

Statement by UK Permanent Representative Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on North Korea.

President, I thank the UN High Commissioner and the UN Special Rapporteur for their briefing, and I extend my thanks as well to Mr Kim Gumhyok for your courageous and moving testimony. It is evident that widespread and systematic human rights violations in the DPRK continue.

On the 10th anniversary of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK, perpetrators remain largely unaccountable, and the North Korean people continue to suffer as we’ve heard so vividly from our briefers today.

As we’ve also heard, you cannot separate DPRK’s human rights violations from the threat DPRK poses to international peace and security. The DPRK authorities continue to divert resources away from their people, to fund their illegal weapons programme.  These illegal weapons are financed through forced labour, as we’ve heard, from the pay of workers sent overseas, often into modern slavery. I urge the DPRK to end these practices without delay. It is incumbent on all UN Member States to implement resolution 2397 in full, a resolution that was unanimously agreed by this Council, and includes obligations to end the exploitation of overseas workers.

We are witnessing forced repatriations, state-sponsored abductions, and enforced disappearances. The United Kingdom also recognises the suffering of other nationals who have been abducted by the DPRK and we call for their return.

I also echo the call of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and urge all member states to respect the principles of non-refoulement and to not forcibly return those who have escaped the DPRK and then face threats to their safety and human rights.

The 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry Report concluded wide-ranging human rights violations taking place in the country may amount to “crimes against humanity.” Ten years on, the DPRK regime continues to refuse to cooperate with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights or with the UN Special Rapporteur.

Colleagues, we urge the DPRK Government to prioritise the rights of its citizens over the illegal development of its weapons programmes and encourage them to ease border restrictions on the international community.

The UK urges the DPRK to use their upcoming Universal Periodic Review to engage with the international community on human rights and implement lasting change and improvements for the people of North Korea.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 12 June 2024.

His Majesty The King has approved the appointment of four Lord Justices of Appeal.

His Majesty The King has been pleased to approve the appointments of Mr Justice Jeremy Baker, Mr Justice Cobb, Mr Justice Holgate and Mr Justice Zacaroli as Lord Justices of Appeal.

These appointments will fill vacancies within the Court of Appeal.

Biography

Mr Justice Jeremy Baker: Was Called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1979 and took Silk in 1999. He was appointed as a Recorder in 1996, as a Circuit Judge in 2010 and as a High Court Judge appointed to the King’s Bench Division in 2013.

Mr Justice Stephen Cobb: Was Called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1985 and took Silk in 2003. He was appointed as a Recorder in 2004, authorised to hear cases under section 9(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 in 2009. He was appointed as a High Court Judge in 2013 and assigned to the Family Division.

Mr Justice David Holgate: Was Called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1978 and took Silk in 1997. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong from 2001 to appear in several cases. He became a Bencher of the Middle Temple in 2004. Between 2012 and 2014 he was joint head of Landmark Chambers. He served as a Recorder (in Crime and Civil) from 2002 and was authorised to hear cases under section 9(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 in 2008. He was appointed as a High Court Judge to the Kings Bench Division in 2014 and was also authorised to sit in the Chancery division in 2022. He served as President of the Lands Chamber (Upper Tribunal) between 2016 and 2019. Since 2017 he has been the Planning Liaison Judge (the lead judge of the Planning Court).

Mr Justice Antony Zacaroli: Was Called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1987 and took Silk in 2006. He was appointed as a High Court Judge to the Chancery Division in 2017. He was President of the Upper Tribunal, Tax and Chancery chamber between 2018 to 2021. He has been Supervising Judge for the Business and Property Courts, Midlands, West and Wales Circuits, since 2021 and Chair of the Insolvency Rules Committee, since 2018.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 June 2024.

The Prime Minister will be clear that the UK will lead from the front on supporting international peace and security as he attends the G7 Leaders Summit in Italy against a backdrop of heightened volatility.

The Prime Minister will be clear that the UK will lead from the front on supporting international peace and security as he attends the G7 Leaders Summit in Italy against a backdrop of heightened volatility.

At the Summit, the Prime Minister will announce up to £242 million in bilateral assistance to Ukraine, to support immediate humanitarian, energy and stabilisation needs, and lay the foundations for longer term economic and social recovery and reconstruction.

This funding demonstrates the UK’s continued international solidarity with Ukraine, and our flexibility in responding to immediate needs created by Russian aggression. Critical energy infrastructure, for example, has suffered from an intense Russian missile and bombing campaign over the past few months.

A priority for the PM at the Summit will be to work with partners to agree a way to use immobilised Russian assets to support Ukraine. Last month, the Chancellor attended the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting, where the G7 discussed potential avenues to bring forward the extraordinary profits stemming from these assets, to the benefit of Ukraine.

The UK and G7 leaders have been clear that Russian must pay for the damage it is causing Ukraine. We will explore all lawful avenues by which immobilised Russian assets can be used to support Ukraine. The value of the assets held in G7 jurisdictions is $285 billion.

The UK was the first country to introduce legislation explicitly enabling us to keep sanctions in place until Russia pays for damage it has caused. We also introduced new powers to compel sanctioned individuals and entities to disclose assets they hold in the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

We must be decisive and creative in our efforts to support Ukraine and end Putin’s illegal war at this critical moment. The UK remains at the forefront of the international response as we have been from the outset. We must move from ‘as long as it takes’ to ‘whatever it takes’ if we are to end this illegal war.

From Ukraine to the Middle East, we will be discussing significant global threats at the Summit. Such threats are why it is so vital to strengthen the UK’s national defence, through our commitment to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030.

The UK has now committed almost £12.7 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine and has often been the first mover on vital lethal aid, from Storm Shadow cruise missiles to a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks.

The Prime Minister recently announced that the UK will send our largest-ever package of military equipment from the UK, designed to help push back the Russian invasion on land, sea and air.

While at the summit, he will attend sessions on Ukraine; Illegal Migration; Economic Security and China; The Middle East; and a credible G7 and UK offer to ‘the global majority’.

The Prime Minister will work to encourage G7 unity in response to the situation on the ground in Gaza, focused on the long-term goal of a stable and prosperous Middle East.

He will press other leaders to recognise migration challenges ‘across the route’ and to take collective action.

He will also seek to strengthen our economic security in relation to China and work collaboratively with partners to identify ways to ensure we leverage the revolution in green technologies for the benefit of the British people and our industries.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 June 2024.

Statement by Deputy Political Coordinator Laura Dix at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

The United Kingdom would like nothing more than for this Council not to hold any more meetings on chemical weapons. As this would mean that chemical weapons were no longer being produced, stored or used anywhere in the world, and the perpetrators of chemical weapons’ attacks had been held to account.

Sadly, that is not the case. Chemical weapons are not a historic problem in Syria. They are a present reality.

The Assad regime continues to possess chemical weapons today. Thousands of munitions and hundreds of tonnes of chemical agent remain unaccounted for. Analysis of samples collected at two sites in April 2023 indicates further undeclared processing and production activity in Syria.

We are gravely concerned by these developments and we join your call, High Representative, for greater cooperation by Syria with the OPCW technical secretariat.

The UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism and the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team found that the Assad regime used chemical weapons, including sarin and chlorine, against its own people nine times after acceding to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013.

Syria has failed to make a complete and accurate declaration of its stockpiles, despite the best and repeated efforts of the OPCW secretariat. Nor has Syria met its obligations under this Council’s resolution 2118. Independent international investigations have also now attributed a total of four uses of chemical weapons to Daesh.

President, failure to hold Syria to account would undermine the international non-proliferation architecture.

The UK will continue to pursue accountability for the use of chemical weapons by state and non-state actors. We fully support the work of the OPCW’s Syria missions, and the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, which assists in the investigation and prosecution of international crimes committed in Syria.

We applaud OPCW’s impartial and patient work. Until Syria fully declares and destroys its chemical weapons, this Council should remain focused on this ongoing threat to international peace and security.

Thank you, President.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 June 2024.

Statement by Legal Adviser Colin McIntyre at the UN Security Council meeting on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.

Let me begin our substantive remarks today by acknowledging the important milestones which have been reached during this reporting period.  The latest report confirms that all core crimes proceedings have now been completed.  In addition, all remaining fugitives in core crimes cases have now been accounted for.  We agree with President Gatti Santana that this therefore represents an historic moment for the Mechanism.  Its achievements to date are a concrete demonstration of what the international community can achieve when we work together to attain accountability.

Having completed this important phase in its work, it is right that the Mechanism and this Council focus on the future.  As we heard from the principals today there is important work still to be done, including in assisting national authorities and in performing ongoing judicial functions.  We also welcome the important and necessary steps which the Mechanism has taken to streamline its remaining activities and ensure efficiency.  We are confident that the Mechanism will continue to focus on this in the future.

Mr. President, we remain concerned that despite this progress, obstacles remain.  In particular we call on Serbia to arrest and transfer Petar Jojić and Vjerica Radeta to the Mechanism following years of requests.

Moreover, in recent months we have seen an increase in ethno-national tensions in the Western Balkans, including the denial of international crimes by some senior political figures.  Denial of such crimes, particularly by those in positions of power, holds the region back from building the safe, stable and inclusive societies that its people deserve.

Finally, Mr President, the United Kingdom is proud of the role it continues to play in supporting the Mechanism, including through the enforcement of sentences and other forms of assistance. We take these responsibilities very seriously, including cooperating closely with both the Mechanism and the ICRC to ensure compliance with all applicable international standards. This assistance reflects our steadfast commitment to delivering justice to all those affected by atrocity crimes in Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia.