Written questions by O'Hara.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the Government of Iran concerning the disproportionate arrests and harsh interrogations of Jews, Christians, and Baha’is in that country.

On 12 January, the Foreign Secretary told Foreign Minister Araghchi directly that the Iranian Government must immediately end the violence carried out against peaceful protestors in Iran, and uphold fundamental rights and freedoms.We subsequently led the call, alongside international partners, for a Special Session of the Human Rights Council on 23 January to address the ongoing abuses in Iran, and we were pleased that the Council voted to extend the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to collect evidence of the authorities' human rights violations, including in relation to religion or belief.At the Council, UK Human Rights Ambassador Eleanor Sanders, highlighted the bravery of protesters, especially women and members of religious and ethnic minority groups, who faced severe repression in their daily lives. We will continue to work with international partners to hold Iran to account for its repression of Freedom of Religion or Belief.For further background, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 August 2025 to Question 67802.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of the United Arab Emirates support for the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.

I refer the Hon Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on 5 November and the statement on Sudan made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November, when these issues were discussed at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure no British-made weaponry is being used in the war in Sudan.

I refer the Hon Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on 5 November and the statement on Sudan made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November, when these issues were discussed at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has raised reports of support for the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan by the government of the United Arab Emirates with her Emirati counterpart.

I refer the Hon Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on 5 November and the statement on Sudan made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November, when these issues were discussed at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of concerns for the safety of Vietnamese human rights defender Y Quynh Bdap; and what discussions she has had with her Vietnamese counterparts on his wellbeing.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 November in response to Question 83589.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs what discussions she has had with the Government of Viet Nam following the extradition of Y Quynh Bdap from Thailand; and whether she has sought urgent clarification of his whereabouts, his health and wellbeing, and guarantees that he will be granted access to lawyers, family members, and independent observers.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 November in response to Question 83589.

What representations she has made to his Malaysian counterpart on the forced disappearance of religious activists; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Malaysia’s High Court’s ruling of November 2025 on the sharing of expertise and training between UK and Malaysian police forces.

The Home Secretary has not engaged with Malaysian counterparts since July 2024.Any police assistance provided to international partners is governed by the FCDO Overseas Security and Justice Assessment (OSJA) process. The OSJA process is an essential tool to ensure that the UK's overseas security and justice assistance meets our human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL) obligations, increases respect for the rule of law, and supports UK values.All requests for England and Wales police officers or staff to deploy overseas to deliver training or capacity building activity (such as the sharing of expertise) is considered by the Home Office under S26 of the Police Act 1996 on a case-by-case basis, in line with the associated OSJA of the proposed activity.Any assistance provided to Malaysia will have been assessed using OSJA, as well as other risk assessment processes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16763, what discussions his Department has had with civil society organisations since 3 December 2024 to evaluate its approach to civilian harm mitigation and response.

Mitigating civilian harm is central to Defence’s approach to human security. We work through multiple channels to promote human security, with a particular emphasis on protecting civilians. We actively engage with civil society organisations on this issue, recognising the value of their expertise and perspectives.Since December 2024, engagement has taken place through in-person meetings and online discussions, as well as participation in civil society-led forums. We have also contributed to international workshops and conferences, including through the International Contact Group on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response for which we are now co-chairs, and attending the Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas international conference.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart concerning the recent detention of Afghan Christian, Teymur Hosseini; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to ensure his release.

Further to the answer I gave on 29 October to Question 83265, we are concerned by the reported case of Teymur Hosseini, and we continue to monitor the situation for Christians in Iran.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Vietnamese counterpart on the recent imprisonment of Kim Som Rinh, Thach Nga and Thach Xuan Dong; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure their release.

The Foreign Secretary raised human rights including freedom of religion and belief with Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung on 30 October, building on my own discussions with the Vice Foreign Minister on 13 October. Our new UK-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reaffirms our shared commitment to continue sincere, frank and constructive dialogue on human rights issues, including through the UN Human Rights Council and Universal Periodic Reviews. The UK will continue to raise specific cases of concern including through the work of the UK envoy on Freedom of Religion and Belief, David Smith MP.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will ensure equality of esteem and equal treatment in design, evaluation and implementation of UK-funded programmes in Palestine and Israel; and whether school textbooks in Israel and Palestine will be reviewed for racism and discriminatory content.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on the Middle East on 18 November, where support for Palestinian institutions was discussed. We will update the House in due course on any further developments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the expected timetable and procedural pathway for the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to be formally received by His Majesty King Charles III for the presentation of credentials; whether, at the point of presentation of credentials, the United Kingdom will recognise the Ambassador as the representative of the State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, as stated in Government policy; and whether the Letters of Credence, the Royal Decree of Agrément, and any associated documentation issued in connection with such recognition will explicitly reference the 1967 borders and the United Kingdom’s position on the applicability of international law, including the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinions on the illegality of the occupation.

The UK follows the standard diplomatic process of agrément and presentation of credentials, as set out in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We recognise Palestinian statehood over provisional borders, based on 1967 lines with equal land swaps, to be finalised as part of future negotiations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Consul-General in East Jerusalem plans to present her credentials as Ambassador to the President of the State of Palestine; and whether she has had discussions with the Palestinian Authority on that process.

The British Consulate General in Jerusalem has had a special role working to promote and protect UK interests in Jerusalem for almost 150 years. The future status of the British Consulate General, and the Consul General, in Jerusalem will be determined in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the death of Dr Hamza Shaheen in Syria.

We remain deeply concerned about incidents of violence in Syria, including the reports of Dr Shaheen's murder. We continue to advocate for an inclusive political transition, a greater focus in social cohesion, and protection of the rights of all Syrians, regardless of religious or ethnic background. When I met the Foreign Minister and Justice Minister in Damascus in August and during their inward visit in November, I underlined the need for the Syrian Government to ensure that the justice system serves all Syrians.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether future UK-funded capacity-building programmes will be structured to (a) advance Palestinian statehood and (b) support the government of Palestine in building institutions capable of delivering public services across Palestine, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on the Middle East on 18 November, where support for Palestinian institutions was discussed. We will update the House in due course on any further developments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the reported attacks by the Armenian government against the Armenian Apostolic Church; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to ensure its protection.

The UK is monitoring the situation between the Armenian Government and the Armenian Apostolic Church. We expect all actions to comply with Armenia's constitutional and legal framework, allowing due process to take its course and ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly under the law, with judicial proceedings remaining transparent and impartial. The UK Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief worldwide.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department supports negotiations for a treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems in 2027.

The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Group of Government Experts (GGE) is the appropriate forum to consider the issue of emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). It is inclusive, expert and consensus based which means that as a forum its conclusions will have the most meaningful impact. The UK is an authoritative voice in the GGE, aiming to increase understanding of the related issues and encourage agreement on appropriate norms and standards. We continue to support the fulfilment of the 2023 consensus mandate of the GGE to 'formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of LAWS'. The LAWS GGE has made progress in articulating the key aspects of the issue and its current mandate provides a positive basis for progress.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings the UK has participated in under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons framework on lethal autonomous weapons systems; what the financial cost of that participation has been; and what progress has been made towards delivering her Department's objectives in those discussions.

The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Group of Government Experts (GGE) is the appropriate forum to consider the issue of emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). It is inclusive, expert and consensus based which means that as a forum its conclusions will have the most meaningful impact. The UK is an authoritative voice in the GGE, aiming to increase understanding of the related issues and encourage agreement on appropriate norms and standards. We continue to support the fulfilment of the 2023 consensus mandate of the GGE to 'formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of LAWS'. The LAWS GGE has made progress in articulating the key aspects of the issue and its current mandate provides a positive basis for progress.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the her Department's objectives are in its engagement with the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems.

The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Group of Government Experts (GGE) is the appropriate forum to consider the issue of emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). It is inclusive, expert and consensus based which means that as a forum its conclusions will have the most meaningful impact. The UK is an authoritative voice in the GGE, aiming to increase understanding of the related issues and encourage agreement on appropriate norms and standards. We continue to support the fulfilment of the 2023 consensus mandate of the GGE to 'formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of LAWS'. The LAWS GGE has made progress in articulating the key aspects of the issue and its current mandate provides a positive basis for progress.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of (a) torture and (b) other human rights violations by Tô Lâm .

The UK Government continues to monitor reports of human rights concerns in Vietnam. We regularly raise these issues with the Vietnamese authorities - including at the highest levels - through bilateral engagement and in multilateral forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. Our Embassy in Bangkok is following the arrests of Montagnard Protestants in Thailand. This includes liaising with the relevant authorities to understand potential next steps. We continue to urge all governments to uphold their international human rights obligations, including the non-refoulement principle.