Tag: Baroness Cox

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-05-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support the Beja people in Eastern Sudan, in particular to prevent kidnapping and people trafficking.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK is supporting the people of Eastern Sudan, including the Beja people, in a number of ways. The Department for International Development (DfID) spends £30million in Eastern Sudan to help improve vulnerable communities’ food security and nutrition, provide sustainable water supplies and improve sanitation. DfID also provides core funding to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees which supports host and refugee communities across Sudan to improve livelihoods and reduce the risk of human trafficking. The UK is also taking a lead role in the Khartoum Process, which prioritises tackling smuggling and trafficking across the Horn of Africa, including Sudan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-05-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that humanitarian charities such as Save the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières are able to give assistance to people in Eastern Sudan, following their expulsion by the government of Sudan in June 2012.

Baroness Verma

The UK continues to fund international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and UN agencies to deliver programmes which target the most vulnerable Sudanese citizens, and ensure that those in need of humanitarian assistance are not left unsupported as a result of expulsion decisions. We meet regularly with the Sudan INGO Steering Committee to discuss issues including humanitarian access, and support them in advocating for access when requested to do so. In addition, DFID is funding £30m of programmes over 3 years in Eastern Sudan to help improve vulnerable communities’ food security and nutrition, provide sustainable water supplies and improve sanitation. DFID also provides core funding to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which supports host and refugee communities across Sudan to improve livelihoods.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the progress of justice and reconciliation processes in South Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Both accountability and reconciliation remain essential for South Sudan to move forward. The formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity in April marked an important step in political reconciliation and we welcome the ongoing efforts of community groups, including churches, to pursue reconciliation at the local level. We look forward to the establishment of the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing and welcome the steps already taken by the African Union on the Hybrid Court, which needs to be set up as a matter of priority.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the UN Security Council resolution of 31 May calling for a suspension of the Transitional Government of National Unity’s decision to increase the number of states in South Sudan to 28.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have consistently expressed serious concern at President Kiir’s decision on 2nd October 2015 to create 28 states in South Sudan, in contradiction to the peace agreement he signed in August 2015. The UK voted in favour of UN Security Council Resolution 2290 of 31 May 2016, which underlined the need to address this issue. We welcome that the Transitional Government of National Unity has subsequently begun the process of forming a Boundary Commission that should resolve this dispute.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy regarding the legal possibility of bringing before the UN Security Council a resolution seeking to refer the actions of Daesh in Iraq and Syria to the International Criminal Court.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh in her press statement of 8 April 2015. We are exploring, with international partners, all legal possibilities for investigating Daesh and holding them to account for their actions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of securing a UN Security Council Resolution focused on the actions of Daesh in Iraq, in the light of the previous vetoes by Russia.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Any decision to refer to the International Criminal Court must be made on the basis of what will be the most effective means to bring perpetrators of atrocities to account. In close consultation with the Government of Iraq, we will continue to look at every available option to ensure accountability, and to work with our international partners on what can be done both to assist the victims and to bring those responsible to justice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding they have made available to the Free Yazidi Foundation and other organisations in Iraq and Syria to aid the collection of evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have a long-standing commitment to accountability for human rights violations and abuses and have supported efforts to document them in Syria and Iraq. The UK co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution in September 2014 mandating the investigation of Daesh abuses in Iraq. We continue to support the UN Commission of Inquiry’s investigations into human rights violations and abuses in Syria.

We have provided over £8 million to support the documentation of human rights abuses and violations in Syria and Iraq. We also supported the translation of the International Protocol for the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict into Arabic and Kurdish to further build the capacity of human rights, justice and healthcare professionals to respond to and document these terrible crimes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they or the UN are collecting reports or intelligence detailing suspected crimes against humanity or genocide in Iraq and Syria, and if so, whether that information will be used to profile people who wish to enter the UK from that region.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have provided over £8 million to support the documentation of human rights abuses and violations in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, we support the work of the UN Commission of Inquiry and continue to call for them to be given unhindered access to investigate human rights violations and abuses. The UK provides financial support to a specialist organisation to collate and build prosecution-ready criminal case files against the high level perpetrators in Syria. These cases are built for international prosecution should a referral to the International Criminal Court be forthcoming, or should individuals be subject to litigation by hybrid, specialised and national courts.

In Iraq, the UK co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution in September 2014 mandating the investigation of Daesh abuses. The UN continues to issue regular reports on abuses committed by Daesh in Iraq. Through our Human Rights and Democracy Fund we funded a project that documents case of sexual violence crimes.

A unit within the Office of Counter-Terrorism monitors various country situations, focusing on issues such as international crimes. This information can be used to help identify possible perpetrators and also to support any decision to refuse their application to enter or stay in the UK.

Where there is credible evidence that a visa applicant has been involved in international crimes (war crimes and crimes against humanity) their case will be investigated further. This applies to any nationality. If there is sufficient evidence, the applicant would be refused entry on the of grounds of their character, conduct or associations. It is also possible to exclude such people from the UK by virtue of the Home Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Theresa May)’s powers under the Immigration Act. With regard to Syria, applicants under the Syrian Humanitarian Assistance Programme are also screened for any security concerns; including international crimes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks of the Minister of State for the Department for International Development, Mr Desmond Swayne, on 16 March (HC Deb, col 937), whether it is their assessment that the International Criminal Court has not ruled out the possibility that violence against minorities in the Middle East perpetrated by Daesh is genocide.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

I refer you to the press statement made by the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor on 8 April 2015, setting out her views on the ICC investigating Daesh.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks of the Minister of State for the Department for International Development, Mr Desmond Swayne, on 16 March (HC Deb, col 937), whether non-state actors can be guilty of genocide, subject to a referral to the International Criminal Court from the United Nations Security Council.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Under Article IV of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article III of the Convention shall be punished whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals. Any member of Daesh who has committed an act of genocide is therefore liable to prosecution. Individual criminal responsibility, rather than by organisations or groups, is determined by courts. The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor has set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh in her press statement of 8 April 2015.