Tag: Lord Alton of Liverpool

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether North Korean citizens are given disproportionately harsh punishments for listening to foreign radio broadcasts than for other comparable offences.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea releases no reliable information about prosecution of offences, so it is hard to make a judgement on the proportionality of punishments imposed for listening to foreign radio broadcasts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they anticipate being in a position to reply to the representations made to Lord Bates and to Lord Keen of Elie about Syrian Christian families seeking asylum after the beheading of family members.

Lord Keen of Elie

I understand the Noble Lord is referring to correspondence dated 25 April from a member of the public on behalf of people they believe are at risk in Syria.

I can confirm that a response was sent on 9 May.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the human rights of Christian pastors in Sudan are protected, in the light of the arrests and continuing detention of Telahoon Nogosi Kassa Rata and Hassan Abduraheem Kodi Taour.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Freedom of religion or belief in Sudan continues to be an area of deep concern. We have consistently called on the Government of Sudan to ensure all legislation is consistent with the Interim Constitution of 2005; within which religious freedom is enshrined. We regularly attend court cases in Sudan on freedom of religion or belief and through our project work we also seek to support lawyers who take on cases addressing important human rights issues.

Our Ambassador in Khartoum raised the specific cases of Mr Talahon and Reverend Hassan with the Minister of Guidance and Religious Endowments and the Sudanese Director of Church Affairs in February. We also raised this issue with the Sudanese Director of Human Rights during the UK-Sudan bilateral talks in March, and again with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in April. Furthermore, we continue to raise concerns about the scope of the National Security Act (2010) and the powers it gives the National Intelligence and Security Service. Most recently, we highlighted this issue in our statement at Sudan’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 4 May. We will remain active on these issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 5 April (HL7189), and further to the findings of the United Nations Panel of Experts and paragraph 13 of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2270, what assessment they have made of the role of personnel from the North Korean Embassy in London in nuclear proliferation activity and sanctions evasion; and whether any representations on this matter have been made to the North Korean Ambassador to the UK.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are concerned by the evidence in the Panel of Experts’ report that officials of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continue to play key roles in facilitating trade of prohibited items. We regularly raise our concerns about the DPRK’s nuclear weapons programme and nuclear proliferation with the North Korean Embassy in London. We remind all foreign diplomatic missions in the UK to operate in accordance with their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that at least 85,000 refugees have escaped from Fallujah, and of the adequacy of the camps that have been established by the UNHCR for those refugees.

Baroness Verma

According to the UN, 85,000 people have been displaced from Fallujah and the surrounding area since May. The UK is concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Fallujah area, including overcrowded camps and the risks posed by the extreme heat of the Iraqi summer.

The UK is working closely with UN, government and other partners to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people who have fled Fallujah. We call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and to ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.

Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which we are funding projects to support those leaving Fallujah.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-07-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the imposition of sanctions and penalties on countries that host visits by those indicted for genocide or crimes against humanity such as Omar al Bashir, President of Sudan; and what discussions they have had with other signatories to the creation of the International Criminal Court about that issue.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an established procedure for dealing with instances of non-cooperation and reports regularly to the UN Security Council on this matter. We continue to follow closely developments in the ICC, including the level of States’ cooperation with the Court, and will consider further measures as appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which projects funded by the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund in South Sudan in 2016–17 are directly linked to the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) in South Sudan will provide funding for five projects in 2016-17 that seek to reduce conflict at a national and local level, and are therefore directly linked to the implementation of the peace agreement. These projects will help improve public knowledge of the peace agreement, increase the capacity for HMG to engage with implementation, provide technical assistance on the economy and security sectors, and support the Sudan People’s Liberation Army on professionalisation, implementation of the peace agreement and preventing sexual violence in conflict.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their reasons for not imposing human rights sanctions against designated North Korean persons suspected of mass human rights violations and crimes against humanity.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We continue to have discussions with international partners about ways to increase the pressure on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to improve its appalling human rights record. We are currently discussing a response to the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme at the UN Security Council. We are also discussing a further resolution on DPRK human rights at the UN General Assembly Third Committee to maintain the focus of international attention on their appalling human rights record.

We will always consider the full range of measures at our disposal and carefully consider the impact and benefits of sanctions measures before they are imposed. These considerations include our ability to defend the legality of the sanctions should they be challenged under EU law and the likelihood of achieving our objective of a denuclearised DPRK which abides by international norms and respects the human rights of its citizens.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that ammunition used by Boko Haram in Nigeria is manufactured in Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

​We are not aware of any reports that Sudanese-manufactured ammunition has been used by Boko Haram. We fully support the EU arms embargo on Sudan as well as the UN arms embargo on Darfur.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Amnesty International’s report highlighting an increase in the number of political prisoners in Burma, what steps they are taking to raise the cases of those prisoners, and to promote the rule of law and the need for reform to meet proper standards of justice in Burma.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have welcomed the release of hundreds of political prisoners under the current Burmese government. But we have also spoken out vociferously about the worrying tempo of arrests, detentions and sentencing of political activists in the lead up to the elections on 8 November.

We have regularly raised our concerns with the government of Burma at the highest levels. Most recently, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised this issue directly with the Minister for the President’s Office, U Aung Min, during his visit to Burma in July. Officials from our Embassy in Rangoon meet regularly with civil society on this issue and we lobby on individual cases. We also raise our concerns publicly in our Annual Report on Human Rights and in multilateral fora such as the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, where the UK has co-sponsored Resolutions calling for the unconditional release of all political prisoners. We will continue to work with the incoming Burmese government to make progress on this important issue.