Tag: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE : Royal Navy flagship sails to lead international carrier strike group deployment [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 9 September 2023.

Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth sails from Portsmouth for her autumn deployment.

Britain’s flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth sails this week from Portsmouth as she heads north to lead a Carrier Strike Group deployment alongside ships from partner nations.

The aircraft carrier, crewed by up to 900 sailors, with her F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters and Merlin helicopters will lead a mixed group of warships from various nations as they head to the Norwegian Sea and waters of northern Europe.

The UK Carrier Strike Group deployment comes just days after HMS Prince of Wales departed Portsmouth for the United States, where she will undergo trials and operate a multitude of aircraft and drones.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:

The UK leadership of this international strike group shows the strength of our commitment to working with Allies to promote security in Europe and demonstrate our resolve against any threat from potential adversaries.

With both HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales deployed simultaneously, the Royal Navy sends a strong message that the UK’s capability for carrier operations is among the strongest in the world.

The first phase of the deployment will see the carrier’s F35 fighter jets taking part in Exercise Cobra Warrior, the RAF’s largest bi-annual exercise, which will see aircraft from the Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, and the UK taking part in joint exercises.

The 18-day exercise will involve RAF Typhoon and F35 jets, A400M and C17 transport aircraft, and Voyager air tankers, developing interoperability alongside allied aircraft and practicing integration between fourth and fifth generation fighter aircraft across air, sea, and land.

Commodore James Blackmore, Commander of the Carrier Strike Group, said:

It is with much eagerness that the UK Carrier Strike Group is now assembling for deployed operations – the first time the UK CSG will be under my command. This autumn’s deployment showcases the UK’s capability to operate at range from the UK and demonstrates our continued commitment to North Atlantic security.

The Carrier Strike Group is an agile and highly capable force and we are excited to be heading to the North Sea and North Atlantic along with our International Partner Nations to reinforce security across the region.

The following phases involve HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Carrier Strike Group conducting activities alongside international partners, including through the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) framework – highlighting the utility and strength of JEF.

A series of sorties will also be carried out by 617 Squadron – the Dambusters, the joint RAF-RN Lightning stealth fighter formation from RAF Marham – and the strike group will take part in various port visits and defence engagement events.

Captain Will King, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s Commanding Officer, said:

It is an extraordinary privilege to have command of one of the Royal Navy’s most capable ships and to lead a dedicated and highly skilled crew on operations.

As we sail to the north leading a coalition of nations in our unwavering commitment to peace and security in Northern Europe, we stand together as a formidable force for stability in these waters.

The 65,000-tonne carrier and her Strike Group will also join NATO allies for exercises and training in the North Atlantic.

The deployment will mark the second time the Royal Navy flagship has led an international carrier strike group, after her deployment to the Indo-Pacific in 2021.

HMS Prince of Wales will lead a further Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific in 2025, further strengthening the UK’s defence ties in the region.

September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK agrees new strategic partnership with Singapore [September 2023]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 September 2023.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has signed a new strategic partnership with Singapore to grow the UK’s economy and enhance shared security.
- The Prime Minister has signed a new strategic partnership with Singapore to grow the UK’s economy and enhance shared security.
- Agreement will harness the UK and Singapore’s expertise in new technologies like cyber and AI to create jobs in both our countries.
- Partnership follows agreements with countries including France, Japan and the US, as PM uses global relationships to deliver on the UK’s priorities.
The UK’s economy will be bolstered and our security strengthened under a new bilateral partnership with Singapore agreed by the Prime Minister today (Saturday 9th September).

The Prime Minister will meet Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the margins of the G20 Summit in India to sign a new UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership. This agreement will set the direction of UK-Singapore relations for the next decade, upgrading the UK’s trade and investment relationship with one of Southeast Asia’s leading economies in recognition of our shared expertise and interests in areas like technology and clean energy.

Following the Strategic Partnership, the UK and Singapore will work to conclude a new and modern bilateral investment treaty – the first the UK has negotiated since we left the EU. This will give Singaporean companies more confidence to invest in the UK and vice-versa, creating jobs and growing our economies.

Singapore is one of the UK’s closest and most dynamic partners in the region, with our £21 billion trade relationship accounting for 40% of our total trade with Southeast Asia. Singaporean entities have a total of £226 billion invested in the UK. Last year the UK and Singapore signed a first-of-its-kind Digital Economy Agreement, to help businesses in both our countries seize new trade opportunities.

In addition to enhanced economic cooperation, the new UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership will strengthen security cooperation, science and technology innovation, and research and development. This includes collaboration to counter new and emerging threats in domains like cyber, through a first of its kind partnership between Singapore’s new Digital and Intelligence Service and the UK.

The Prime Minister said:

I am totally committed to delivering on my priorities to halve inflation, grow the economy while reducing government debt, cut NHS waiting lists and stop the boats. But none of these priorities can be achieved without working with our international partners.

As Prime Minister, I’ve put the interests of the British people front and centre of my international engagement. I am ensuring that diplomacy delivers.

You have already seen that through deals that will stop illegal migration, make our economy more secure and increase trade with our international partners.

This new agreement with Singapore will take us even further in delivering our priorities and ensure that, as we map the future of the world economy, we are doing so alongside our closest partners.

Since becoming Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has forged a number of new bilateral and multilateral partnerships which are already helping to deliver on the UK Government’s priorities.

This includes agreements with countries such as France, Albania and Turkey to stop illegal migration, the Hiroshima Accord with Japan and Atlantic Declaration with the United States which will strengthen our economy, and the AUKUS pact with Australia and the US to build a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Earlier this year, the UK also became the first new country to accede to the CPTPP Pacific trade agreement. We are in the process of negotiating further free trade agreements, including a deal with India which would be the first the country has signed with a European country.

And on Thursday, the Prime Minister announced that UK scientists will have access to the world’s largest research collaboration programme, Horizon Europe, after he secured a bespoke deal with the EU.

In his engagements at the G20 today, the Prime Minister will stress the need for leaders in attendance to drive action on the biggest challenges facing the world, including stabilising the global economy and strengthening global security.
September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Scots director hit with 14-year ban for £2.8 million oil company investment scam [September 2023]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 8 September 2023.

Kenneth James Campbell, 52, from Glasgow, was banned from being a company director at The Court of Session in Edinburgh on 16 August 2023, after swindling £2.8 million from investors who believed they were investing in an oil and gas venture in Texas, USA.

Campbell was sole director of HGEC Capital Ltd, a company which claimed to invest in petroleum and natural gas extraction, from its incorporation in March 2018 until it went into liquidation in February 2020.

An Insolvency Service investigation was triggered after complaints from investors to the company’s administrators following HGEC Capital’s demise.

The court heard that Campbell had sought investment in the company from clients between June 2018 until it folded in February 2020.

But investigators discovered that HGEC had operated as a Ponzi-like scheme, with Campbell using new funds to make negligible interest payments to existing investors. Most of the money was sent to third parties, and hundreds of thousands of pounds was paid to Campbell himself, with only around £430,000 invested in the intended scheme.

Investigators also found that Campbell paid himself £194,000, and payments of £360,000 were paid to consultants in HGEC. The total loss to investors when the company folded was £2.8 million .

Investigators found no evidence of wrongdoing by anyone other than Campbell, who had been solely responsible for the company’s finances.

Rob Clarke, Chief Investigator of Insolvent Investigations North at the Insolvency Service, said:

Many of Kenneth Campbell’s victims are members of the public who lost their life savings due to his deceit.

Campbell dishonestly took money from people at a time when he knew no investment would be made, and the lengthy disqualification ordered by the court illustrates the seriousness of his actions.

This ban should act as a strong deterrent to others who consider doing similar, and assure the public that the Insolvency Service will take the strongest action where such fraudulent actions are concerned.

As Campbell is sequestrated – the Scottish equivalent of being bankrupt – recovery of the remaining money has not been possible.

His 14-year disqualification, which began on 7 September 2023, will prevent him from acting as a director and becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : The Kremlin has pre-determined the results of sham elections across sovereign Ukrainian territory – UK statement at the Security Council [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 September 2023.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

President,

Let me first condemn another appalling Russian missile attack earlier this week on a market in Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine. Intentionally directing attacks against civilians is a war crime, and those responsible must be held to account.

Last year, in violation of the democratic will of the Ukrainian people, and of the UN Charter, Russia attempted to illegally annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. We saw Russian soldiers round people up to cast ballots at gunpoint for Russia’s so-called “referendums.”

As colleagues have said, the General Assembly emphatically rejected Russia’s actions. 143 Member States denounced Russia’s blatant violation of international law. The Secretary General condemned Russia’s attempted annexations.

Now Russia is committing another violation of the UN Charter by holding so-called “elections” within these four oblasts and in illegally annexed Crimea. Russia claims it is protecting the right to self-determination. But as my Foreign Secretary has said, you can’t hold elections in someone else’s country. Not only are Russia’s actions illegal and illegitimate, but we have information that the Kremlin has pre-determined the results of the sham elections across sovereign Ukrainian territory which Russia temporarily controls.

This gross deception will bring Russia no closer to justifying its war of aggression, just as Russia, in a year, has come no closer to expanding its control over the areas it has claimed in its failing invasion.

We also have information that “this year, Russia aims to host around 100,000 Ukrainian children from Russian-controlled territories to participate in a summer camp programme, with the aim being to politically indoctrinate children to align with Russia.”

Ukraine is fighting for its future as a State. The only way that Russia’s war can come to an end is through a just and sustained peace that fully respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We call on the international community to support Ukraine until that peace is won.

September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK Minister David Rutley MP concludes 3-day visit to Belize [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 September 2023.

The United Kingdom (UK)’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Minister for the Americas & Caribbean visited Belize.

David Rutley MP, UK Minister for the Americas & Caribbean, completed his 3-day visit to Belize yesterday. Accompanied by Acting High Commissioner to Belize, Kate Reynolds, his engagements focused on bilateral relations, defence cooperation, climate change, gender, and infrastructure to support livelihoods and economic development.

His visit began with meetings with the Prime Minister of Belize, Honourable John Briceño, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration, Honourable Eamon Courtenay.

Minister Rutley also met with government officials and members of civil society, including advocates for the rights of women and girls and Chevening alumni who work in climate-related fields. He engaged in meaningful discussions and reiterated the UK’s commitment to continuing to work together towards shared goals.

British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) received Minister Rutley for a tour of their training area in the Gallon Jug area. He was able to see first-hand the benefits of the strong relationship between Belize and UK as soldiers participated in jungle training.

Minister Rutley also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) under the Small Island Developing States Capacity and Resilience (SIDAR) Programme. This announcement kick starts a partnership with the Caribbean region to increase access to climate finance.

One of the highlights of Minister Rutley’s trip was a visit to the Coastal Plain Highway, where he had the opportunity to see the recently upgraded road that was made possible through a grant from the UK. He met with representatives from the local communities to hear about how it has improved livelihoods. He also met with officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure, Development and Housing who were responsible for supervising the completion of the project in a timely and cost effective manner.

Minister Rutley’s visit concluded with a brief press conference at the Phillip Goldson International Airport. He had the opportunity to meet with representatives from local media, an excellent opportunity to foster open dialogue, exchange ideas, and deepen understanding between UK-Belize.

Minister for the Americas and the Caribbean, Minister David Rutley said:

Belize and the UK will continue to work together towards important priorities such as climate change, biodiversity protection, gender inclusion, diversity, and security. Projects between our two countries such as the UKCIF funded Coastal Highway is making a huge impact to the life of Belizeans and the UK government is committed to supporting Belize further in the years to come.

September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Migrants involved in violence against French officers jailed [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 8 September 2023.

Two small boat migrants at the centre of a mob that used violent disorder to make their way to the UK illegally on a small boat have been jailed.

Salih Taib Abdullah, 33, and Ahmed Omar Saleh Khater, 25, were sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court today (8 September) to a combined total of two years and two months’ imprisonment for attempting to arrive in the UK illegally.

Both were involved in violence which broke out on a French beach in June this year when French officers were attacked by a large group of migrants attempting to leave on a small boat.

A team of UK-funded gendarmes were on patrol in Oye Plage near Calais when they came across a group of 51 migrants in the process of launching a small boat and attempted to prevent their crossing.

A number of the migrants were armed with makeshift weapons and rocks, causing injuries to the French officers before fleeing on a small boat bound for the UK.

Following rapid consultation between UK and French authorities, the two defendants were quickly identified and arrested by officers from the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations (CFI) unit as soon as they reached Dover.

Body-worn footage from the gendarmes shows the two defendants confronting French officers. British and French authorities worked closely together, at speed, to ensure the offenders were brought to justice as swiftly as possible.

Both Abdullah, from Iraq, and Khater, from Sudan, pleaded guilty to attempting to arrive in the UK without valid entry clearance at an earlier hearing. Abdullah received a sentence of 14 months’ imprisonment and Khater received 12 months’ imprisonment.

Charlie Eastaugh, Director of International Operations for the Small Boats Operational Command in the Home Office, said:

We will not tolerate violence against our French partners, particularly by those attempting dangerous and illegal small boat launches which threaten the border security of the UK.

Tension on French beaches is increasing due to the successful efforts of law enforcement in frustrating this organised criminal enterprise. Incidents like this highlight the complex and brave work of our French colleagues in the face of challenging conditions.

We will continue to work hand-in-hand with them to tackle the criminal gangs behind these deadly crossings, to protect our borders and save lives.

September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK to host global summit to turn the dial on world hunger [September 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 September 2023.

The UK will host a global food security summit to galvanize action to tackle hunger and malnutrition.
- The UK will host a global food security summit with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) to galvanize action to tackle hunger and malnutrition.
- It will focus on the best of science and innovation to prevent food insecurity and malnutrition.
- Nearly one billion people worldwide do not have enough to eat and 345 million face acute hunger and starvation.
The UK will gather governments, international organisations, scientists, NGOs and the private sector on 20 November for a reset moment on the global food security crisis.

Speaking at the G20, the Prime Minister announced today (8 September) that leading experts will come together to tackle the causes of food insecurity and malnutrition, including through cutting edge UK funded science and technology, at an event in London.

Climate change, conflict, the long-term impacts of Covid-19 and the effects on global food supply of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are the main drivers of current food insecurity.

Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) last month, a UN plan to ensure food and fertilizers could leave Ukrainian ports, has reduced global grain supply at a critical time for vulnerable people around the world and contributed to further market volatility – when prices rise, the poorest pay.

The UK-hosted summit will explore how innovation, partnerships and the latest technological advances can ensure long term food security and improved nutrition for people in the hardest-hit countries.

It will focus on:
- New approaches to tackle preventable deaths of children.
- Building a climate-resilient and sustainable food system.
- Supporting early action to prevent and reduce the impact of humanitarian crises.
- Using science and technology to boost food security.
Through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s science and research partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK is helping to find solutions to address global food and climate challenges – including more nutritious, resilient crop varieties and innovation to tackle pests and diseases.

Through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), the UK is already leading an innovative way of tackling child wasting and famine in some of the most vulnerable countries in the world.

Severe wasting, the most severe form of malnutrition, is responsible for one in five deaths of children under five. The CNF is scaling up prevention and treatment services in countries with the greatest need such as Malawi.
September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Russia’s illegitimate “elections” convince nobody – UK Statement to the OSCE [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 September 2023.

Ambassador Neil Holland says that Russia is using violence and aggression to try and rewrite the rules, redraw borders and ignore the will of the Ukrainian people.

Thank you, Mr Chair. I want to begin by condemning Russia’s appalling missile attack on a market in Kostyantynivka, eastern Ukraine. Those responsible must be held to account. Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population and civilian objects constitutes war crimes.

Mr Chair, as Russia fails to achieve its objectives on the battlefield, its desperation grows. Russia is imposing so-called “elections” on the Ukrainian oblasts it claims to have annexed last year, as well as in Crimea. This is a further violation of Ukraine’s sovereign and territorial integrity and the UN Charter. Alongside torture, forced deportations and summary executions, it is yet another despicable tactic to repress Ukrainian civilians. Civilians who have continued bravely to resist Russian aggression in the face of unspeakable atrocities. Civilians who are determined to remain part of an independent and sovereign Ukraine.

Mirroring last year’s sham referendums, these illegitimate “elections” are straight out of the Kremlin playbook. Media have reported door-to-door visits of armed military forcing residents to partake in the vote. However, just like in September 2022, the results will have no credibility. These so-called elections are simply another way for Moscow to fuel its propaganda machine and attempt to legitimise its illegal presence in Ukraine.

Mr Chair, Russia is seeking to deceive the world to further its territorial ambition. However, as the international community made overwhelmingly clear at the United Nations General Assembly last year, Russia’s attempts to take Ukrainian territory by force or intimidation will never be recognised. Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea are all irrefutably part of Ukraine. Falsified elections will never change that.

Using its repressive measures in Crimea as a blueprint, Russia has expanded restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms to the temporarily controlled territories of Ukraine. At every level, President Putin is attempting to eliminate any trace of Ukrainian statehood and identity. Forcefully deporting children. Restricting Ukrainian language and culture. And imposing Russian laws, currency, media and passports.

As part of its brutal campaign of repression, Russia has taken political prisoners in areas it temporarily controls, as well as in illegally annexed Crimea. These political detainees are kept in appalling conditions. Two such political prisoners, Dzhemil Gafarov and Kostiantyn Shiring, have already died while being held captive. In contravention of international law, Russia is not providing prisoners with adequate access to medical care. Many are in agony, often with life-threatening illnesses. The United Kingdom calls for the immediate release of all Ukrainian political prisoners held by Russia, especially those who require urgent medical assistance. Russia must, and will, be held accountable for the horrific suffering it is visiting upon Ukrainian detainees.

Mr Chair, Russia is using violence and aggression to try and rewrite the rules, redraw borders and ignore the will of the Ukrainian people. Russia has demonstrated complete disregard for international law and the core principles upon which this organisation was founded.

We reaffirm that the only path to peace is if Russia ceases its illegal war, withdraws all its forces and military equipment from Ukraine, and respects the will of the Ukrainian people for a wholly independent and democratic Ukraine.

September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Son and mother receive suspended jail sentences for waste offences at Huddersfield fire site [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 8 September 2023.

A son and mother responsible for illegal waste activity at a site in Huddersfield, which then set on fire in 2016 causing significant risk to the environment, have been sentenced.

Samuel Hunter, aged 31 of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and Jacinta Hunter, aged 59 of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, were given a 24-month custodial sentence, and 12-month sentence respectively, suspended for two years.

Samuel Hunter must undertake 300 hours of unpaid work, the maximum number of hours a court can order. Jacinta Hunter must undertake 80 hours of unpaid work.

The two defendants, who were director and manager of Hunter Group (Yorkshire) Limited also known as Sam H Services Limited, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to charges of waste offences at a site in Queens Mill Road, Huddersfield, and were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday 6 September. The defendants accepted they had kept waste which posed a fire risk in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to human health.

The company had premises at Scotland Yard, Queens Mill Road, Huddersfield, and held an environmental permit from the Environment Agency, which has conditions in place to ensure any waste activity does not impact on the environment.

Following site inspections by the Environment Agency in 2015 and 2016, the site was found to be repeatedly in breach of its permit, as huge piles of waste were found pushing against a perimeter fence which was broken in places. Shredded waste was found stored between a roofed area of the site and a wall, when it should have been in a building or held in bays.

The Environment Agency ordered the waste be moved and the fences repaired, but return inspections found that no improvements had been made.

Following continued breaches of the permit, and concerns over the waste falling through the fence and potentially polluting a river, two enforcement notices were issued. When advice had been given to make improvements, Samuel Hunter was verbally abusive to officers on more than one occasion.

Environment Agency officers were concerned that rubbish including wood, rubble and scrap metal including a gas bottle was hanging over the wall against the damaged fencing towards the river. In one place where the boundary fence was completely missing, some waste had fallen into the river, so was at risk of causing pollution.

A further visit found waste being stored had increased significantly, was rotting and being stored in large steaming piles.

Fire risk

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service attended and advised Samuel Hunter that the site was a fire risk and that he needed to introduce fire breaks between the waste piles.

An Environment Agency officer estimated the volume of waste on site to be between 825 and 1383 tonnes. Disposal of this quantity of waste at landfill would cost between £98,880 – £165,912. The amount charged by the company for accepting the waste onto site was estimated to be £120 per tonne. In June 2016 another individual began running the company and site.

The court then heard how on 18 August 2016 a fire broke out at the site and a large amount of runoff had accumulated behind the premises of a nearby glass factory from the firefighting activities.

This was a major concern as it was about to overflow into the river or flood the building where the glass company had important compressor machinery. To avoid this, West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service deployed a small pump to move this runoff onto the access road so it would flow into the sewer network, which meant the road was closed for the entire day on 19 August 2016.

On 25 August 2016 Kirklees Council took the decision to bring machinery onto site to dig into the waste pile and move the waste around on the site to help the fire service extinguish the fire.

The fire was still smouldering on the 30 August 2016. It took Kirklees Council till March 2017 to remove all the waste from the site to reduce the risk of ongoing fires. The total amount paid by Kirklees Council for clearance of the site amounted to £1,142,131.

‘Flagrant disregard for the law’

In sentencing, the Judge was satisfied both defendants had committed the offences deliberately with a flagrant disregard for the law which he described as a financial decision. Jacinta Hunter had followed Samuel Hunter’s lead as he was the controlling mind of Hunter Group (Yorkshire) Limited. He said Samuel Hunter should be ashamed of his behaviour when he described his interactions with Environment Agency officers to whom he had been foul and abusive.

In mitigation, the defence said the Hunters were trying to act within the law and were not rogue operators. Jacinta Hunter said she hadn’t been given enough time to meet the deadlines to rectify issues at the site. Samuel Hunter maintained he had done everything he could.

Ben Hocking, Yorkshire Environment Manager at the Environment Agency said:

The seriousness of this sentence sends out a message that waste crime will not be tolerated.

This case followed action from the Environment Agency with support from our colleagues at West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service and Kirklees Council. Despite repeatedly being warned, waste was still brought onto site causing a risk to the environment and contributing to a fire which affected the surrounding community and businesses, and left authorities with significant clear up costs.

Waste criminals undercut legitimate business, damage our environment, and are a blight on local communities. We encourage people to report any illegal waste activity to our 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 807060.

A timetable was set for Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings to deprive the defendants of any financial benefit arising from their offending, so there were no financial orders for costs against the defendants at this hearing.

September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Fraudulent presidential election in Belarus – 2023 joint statement to the OSCE [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 September 2023.

UK and others mark the three-year anniversary of the fraudulent presidential election in Belarus.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

I am delivering this statement on behalf of the United Kingdom, Canada, Iceland, and my own country Norway. As we mark the three-year anniversary of the deeply flawed and fraudulent 2020 presidential election, I wish to reiterate our steadfast solidarity with the Belarusian people in the face of relentless, systematic repression, and our support for their hopes of a free and democratic future. The 2023 Moscow Mechanism report and its predecessor in 2020 both found compelling evidence of widespread, continued human rights violations against all parts of Belarusian society.

To quote briefly from Professor Ascencio’s report earlier this year: “so far, the Government of Belarus has not taken any steps to put an end to this situation, nor to provide effective remedies for the victims. On the contrary, the repressive policy has been steadily increasing over the past two years”. In July, the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus described the current human rights situation as catastrophic, and only getting worse.

We have continuously called on the Belarusian regime to put an end to these egregious human rights violations against its own citizens, and to undertake the necessary free and fair elections for the Belarusian people to determine their own leaders and their own future.

However, the regime has consistently ignored the recommendations from a range of independent experts, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus, the UNCHR examination, the Moscow and Vienna Mechanisms, the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s fact-finding report and the International Labour Organisation’s Commission of Inquiry.

Three years on from the fraudulent elections, the regime is still relentless in brutally targeting its own citizens, systematically liquidating civil society organisations and clamping down on independent journalists, trade unions, human rights defenders and many ordinary people. There are now over 1,500 political prisoners in detention, many of whom are starved of contact with the outside world and subject to cruel and degrading treatment, including torture. We are deeply concerned by cases of deaths in custody and call upon the Belarusian authorities to respect their international human rights obligations and OSCE commitments, including providing access to appropriate medical treatment for those in detention.

Furthermore, the regime is facilitating human rights violations beyond its borders in Ukraine through the support it continues to provide to Russia’s illegal invasion. Lukashenko has used Putin’s war of aggression to increase his own illegal repression, violently supressing peaceful anti-war protests and arresting anyone who openly opposes the war.

We will continue to hold the Belarusian regime to account for their human rights violations and support to Russia’s illegal war. This includes through targeted sanctions packages and support for accountability measures to ensure that those responsible will one day face justice. We welcome the ongoing work of the International Accountability Platform for Belarus and UN in documenting and preserving evidence.

In conclusion, Mr Chair, we urge the Belarusian regime to reconsider the path their government is taking and to address the recommendations made in the Moscow Mechanism reports of both 2020 and 2023. We urge the Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners. And we call on Belarus to respect their OSCE commitments on democracy and human rights and to engage in political dialogue. It is for the people of Belarus to determine their own future.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

September 12, 2023