0:00:00 > 0:00:00kind of area at the honourable lady alludes to and if she would like to
0:00:00 > 0:00:03write to me with further details of exactly the aspects she is
0:00:03 > 0:00:08interested in I would certainly be very happy to consider them.Urgent
0:00:08 > 0:00:15question, Bob Blackman.To ask the Secretary of State if he will make a
0:00:15 > 0:00:22statement on the death sentence verdict made against a Yemeni on the
0:00:22 > 0:00:302nd of January this year.Mr Speaker we are very concerned that they are
0:00:30 > 0:00:35being persecuted for their religious beliefs in Yemen are particularly in
0:00:35 > 0:00:42areas controlled by forces aligned to the late former president. We
0:00:42 > 0:00:46strongly condemn this mistreatment and we continue to work closely with
0:00:46 > 0:00:50our partners including the EU to raise the issue directly with the de
0:00:50 > 0:00:56facto authorities. We are aware of the death sentence and have sought
0:00:56 > 0:01:00to raise the profile of the situation through public diplomacy.
0:01:00 > 0:01:07The immediate release of in Yemen imprisoned for those religious
0:01:07 > 0:01:11beliefs was a key demand in the September United Nations human
0:01:11 > 0:01:16rights Council resolution which we supported. We will work closely with
0:01:16 > 0:01:21all partners to ensure its full implementation.I thank my
0:01:21 > 0:01:26honourable friend for his answer and to you Mr Speaker for granting this
0:01:26 > 0:01:33urgent question. Members across the house have concerns about the denial
0:01:33 > 0:01:36of freedom of religion and belief of people of all faiths and none. The
0:01:36 > 0:01:42threat to execute constitutes a grave risk to the lives of an
0:01:42 > 0:01:47innocent man, the father of three and would accelerate the climate of
0:01:47 > 0:01:52persecution against the wider community in Yemen as a whole. He
0:01:52 > 0:01:56was arrested in December 2013 and has been subjected to torture,
0:01:56 > 0:02:02beating, electrocution and forced to sign confessions under duress. 40
0:02:02 > 0:02:07court hearings have been held on his case which were cancelled raising
0:02:07 > 0:02:12serious questions about any due process. He has been denied
0:02:12 > 0:02:16treatment for medical conditions which came as a direct result of the
0:02:16 > 0:02:20torture inflicted on him. He was not even permitted to be present at the
0:02:20 > 0:02:25court hearing when he was sentenced to death. I have a series of
0:02:25 > 0:02:27questions I would ask my right honourable friend to answer if you
0:02:27 > 0:02:34can. Can he say if the UK Government has any further lines of
0:02:34 > 0:02:38communication to make representations to the authorities
0:02:38 > 0:02:43who hold the power in that area? I am advised that my right honourable
0:02:43 > 0:02:48friend the Minister for the middle east is actually taking up the case
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and is in Geneva today, can he say what pressure he will be able to
0:02:51 > 0:02:59apply at the UN to persuade them to release this innocent man? How much
0:02:59 > 0:03:13is known about the situation of others imprisoned?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Other men have been detained recently and are under threat. Can
0:03:17 > 0:03:26he also say what measures can be taken that senior figures within the
0:03:26 > 0:03:29national Security office and prosecutors offers are receiving
0:03:29 > 0:03:35instructions from Iran to persecute this community and the UN special
0:03:35 > 0:03:40rapporteur on the freedom of religious belief has observed the
0:03:40 > 0:03:44position pattern of persecution of this community. If you could answer
0:03:44 > 0:03:50those questions I think the whole house would be deeply grateful.May
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I first express gratitude to my honourable friend for raising the
0:03:53 > 0:03:57subject, I think it's always a proper moment for this house to
0:03:57 > 0:04:02remains matters of individual justice of this sort and opposing
0:04:02 > 0:04:05the persecution of religious minorities is a very high priority
0:04:05 > 0:04:09for the Foreign Office and our diplomatic efforts as we enter this
0:04:09 > 0:04:14year. Indeed the faith has been persecuted for the best part of one
0:04:14 > 0:04:20and half centuries. This sadly is a further example of that phenomenon.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Although this gentleman is not a British national nor an employee of
0:04:24 > 0:04:29any organisation related to Her Majesty 's government it is not in
0:04:29 > 0:04:33any way diminish our indignation at what is happening and our wish to
0:04:33 > 0:04:39try and defend his interests and see him released. We are to that end
0:04:39 > 0:04:42also in close contact with the community in London regarding this
0:04:42 > 0:04:49case and also the wider situation in Yemen. My honourable friend asked a
0:04:49 > 0:04:53number of questions. These are difficult to answer in the context
0:04:53 > 0:04:57which is essentially a failing state. This gentleman is held not by
0:04:57 > 0:05:04the official government but by those deemed to be the insurgent force in
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Yemen. But of course they are essential to any successful
0:05:06 > 0:05:13political outcome the likes of which we are trying to pursue. Further
0:05:13 > 0:05:18lines on a particular case like this is extremely difficult. It is
0:05:18 > 0:05:22difficult of course to try to engage them even for the main thrust of the
0:05:22 > 0:05:27political solution we would like to see in Yemen. But to that end as my
0:05:27 > 0:05:30honourable friend says my right honourable friend the Minister for
0:05:30 > 0:05:34the Middle East is in Geneva today helping to corral the collective
0:05:34 > 0:05:38effort which we hope can increase and optimise the influence we can
0:05:38 > 0:05:42have on this case and on the future of Yemen itself.
0:05:46 > 0:05:53We estimate there are about 2000 Baha'is in Yemen and to try to
0:05:53 > 0:05:56identify the fate of any individual person within that large number is
0:05:56 > 0:06:01very difficult. We do not have direct diplomatic representation in
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Sana'a, or if you like the sort of detailed arrangement with the
0:06:05 > 0:06:11Houthis that would be necessary to address issues of this detail. In
0:06:11 > 0:06:15terms of Iranian influence, it is inevitably I think undeniable,
0:06:15 > 0:06:21undeniable to say that their influence has been drawn into Yemen
0:06:21 > 0:06:25more than was the case five years ago when we had the initiative to
0:06:25 > 0:06:35seek a replacement for the then president, but the current president
0:06:35 > 0:06:41I'm afraid has very little influence in cases such as this and I hope the
0:06:41 > 0:06:51Iranians will use their effort to go for justice rather than persecution.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Thank you for granting this urgent question and I congratulate the
0:06:55 > 0:06:58member for Harrow East in securing it. He has explained the facts in
0:06:58 > 0:07:09the case and they argue. He was arrested in southern Yemen in 2013
0:07:09 > 0:07:14and describes the torture he has retrieved and his family and lawyers
0:07:14 > 0:07:19have not been allowed to see him during that process. He was forced
0:07:19 > 0:07:24to sign a 19 page confession while wearing a blindfold and on the basis
0:07:24 > 0:07:29of that conversion was charged of spreading the Baha'i faith in Yemen.
0:07:29 > 0:07:37This all took place under not the Houthi revels Billy Knott rebels who
0:07:37 > 0:07:46took power, but the president -- Houthi rebels who took power in
0:07:46 > 0:07:492015. The responsibility in this case lies clearly with the Houthis
0:07:49 > 0:07:55and the supporters of them in the Iranians regime are well known, the
0:07:55 > 0:08:03terrible history of the persecution of the Baha'is in Tehran. As well as
0:08:03 > 0:08:08Mr Hadara the five other Baha'is are awaiting trial for no other crime
0:08:08 > 0:08:12other than their religion. We all agree in this House that they must
0:08:12 > 0:08:17be freed and that Mr Hadara's sentence must be quashed. The
0:08:17 > 0:08:20question to the Minister, firstly, will he use his influence with the
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Iranians because they are the ones who have the influence at this
0:08:24 > 0:08:28moment in time in order to deal with the Houthis, and he needs to
0:08:28 > 0:08:33pressure as much as he can because this is something that may happen
0:08:33 > 0:08:41very quickly, and therefore Iranians are the key players in this and will
0:08:41 > 0:08:47he be able to raise this when it becomes possible on the political
0:08:47 > 0:08:51talks in Yemen, and will he request assurances from the Saudi Government
0:08:51 > 0:08:58that if the president is restored in Yemen he will seek to protect the
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Baha'i faith.I think these are perfectly fair questions from the
0:09:03 > 0:09:06honourable honourable gentleman and the illustrated the complexities of
0:09:06 > 0:09:11Yemen at the moment. Unfortunately we cannot deal with the government
0:09:11 > 0:09:15in the way we might do with other countries. It is a failing state
0:09:15 > 0:09:17with the legitimate president wielding far less power than one
0:09:17 > 0:09:22would wish, and the Houthis wielding far more power than one would wish,
0:09:22 > 0:09:27salt relations on the consular case, if I can describe it as such, I very
0:09:27 > 0:09:30difficult, and our ability to have the influence we would like is far
0:09:30 > 0:09:35less than we would like -- are very difficult. The Houthis are not
0:09:35 > 0:09:43classic Iranians Shi'ite, so they have an affinity with Iran but I
0:09:43 > 0:09:47think it would be wrong to say they take all their orders from them and
0:09:47 > 0:09:49straightforward puppets. The situation of Yemen suggests the
0:09:49 > 0:09:54position of the Houthis is rather more complex, but there is an
0:09:54 > 0:09:57undoubted affinity and one that has grown over the last two or three
0:09:57 > 0:10:00years and because of that we will of course choose all our diplomatic
0:10:00 > 0:10:03efforts with the Iranians to put pressure on them to understand there
0:10:03 > 0:10:07is deep concern in this House and more widely across the world about
0:10:07 > 0:10:14the way Mr Hadara and others are being treated, so I can absolutely
0:10:14 > 0:10:17assure the House my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary, in his
0:10:17 > 0:10:20dealings with the Iranians, which have increased over the last couple
0:10:20 > 0:10:24of months, will not fail to raise this issue and the broader issue of
0:10:24 > 0:10:34religious freedom on every occasion. Can I thank the Minister for making
0:10:34 > 0:10:38his comments today and speaking very generally unwise on a matter that
0:10:38 > 0:10:43has actually been very complex but I also pay tribute to Her Majesty's
0:10:43 > 0:10:47ambassador to Yemen who is of course not in Sana'a, who has done an awful
0:10:47 > 0:10:51lot of work on this, the Yemen problem, and get through no fault of
0:10:51 > 0:10:55the zone appears to be getting not very much further, and carry also
0:10:55 > 0:10:59paid tribute to the Minister for the Middle East who likewise is doing a
0:10:59 > 0:11:03lot? I would like to associate with the words that member for Birmingham
0:11:03 > 0:11:06has just mentioned about the influence of Iran in this region.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11Does he agree with me that the rise of religiosity amongst the Houthis
0:11:11 > 0:11:14is an extremely worrying sign and something that has risen only in the
0:11:14 > 0:11:22last few years although there has been many tribal issues in Yemen,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27this is actually thing for Yemeni history.I totally agree with my
0:11:27 > 0:11:32honourable friend, and from his position as chair of the Foreign
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Affairs Committee he and his committee will be investigating this
0:11:34 > 0:11:41very deeply. I think he is right. One of the really distressing
0:11:41 > 0:11:45elements of what has unfolded in Yemen over the last five years, is
0:11:45 > 0:11:52that what was really tribal conflict has converted into more sectarian
0:11:52 > 0:11:58conflict, and it contains the danger of escalating further into a deeper
0:11:58 > 0:12:01proxy conflict, and this is exactly the kind of rising tension and
0:12:01 > 0:12:07complex structure we want through our diplomatic efforts to reduce and
0:12:07 > 0:12:10de-escalates so we can get to the point where that can be proper
0:12:10 > 0:12:15political discussions, realistic ones in that tribal country, to
0:12:15 > 0:12:19bring stability and crucially to overcome the massive famine and
0:12:19 > 0:12:27disease and rising infant mortality that is probably the worst aspect
0:12:27 > 0:12:31and most deeply hidden aspect of what is going on in Yemen at the
0:12:31 > 0:12:33moment.Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to the member for bringing
0:12:33 > 0:12:38this issue to the House and the Baha'i community in the UK for
0:12:38 > 0:12:42raising it with me this week as well. The Baha'i amenity in Yemen is
0:12:42 > 0:12:47small, as mentioned, but they face disproportionate persecution by the
0:12:47 > 0:12:52Houthis, by a run. Harbours to harassment, detention, citing all
0:12:52 > 0:12:59the centres across the portion of Yemen they controlled -- by Iran,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02facing harassment. The detention of Hadara is extremely worrying because
0:13:02 > 0:13:09he has been in detention since the 2013 and is also in detention I
0:13:09 > 0:13:12would imagine are extremely distressed given the developments.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Noting the context and wider discussions around the dire
0:13:15 > 0:13:18situation in Yemen, what discussions had he been able to have with
0:13:18 > 0:13:24counterparts in Iran, who it is alleged are driving this religious
0:13:24 > 0:13:29persecution? And the Baha'i community allege this follows a very
0:13:29 > 0:13:32similar pattern of persecution to Baha'is in Iran which has already
0:13:32 > 0:13:38gone on. In the wider context of countries choosing to continue to
0:13:38 > 0:13:44use the death penalty, what is the FCO doing to update its strategy for
0:13:44 > 0:13:47abolition, and what potential communications could he have with
0:13:47 > 0:13:53the president in exile but, you know, who is still there in a
0:13:53 > 0:13:58position of some influence? Can he update us on that?May I start by
0:13:58 > 0:14:02ushering the honourable lady that the abolition of the death penalty
0:14:02 > 0:14:07is embedded in all of our diplomatic and DFID policies whenever we go in
0:14:07 > 0:14:12any country. That is our policy and we do our best to argue for it will
0:14:12 > 0:14:16ever we possibly can. I have been going to Yemen for over 30 years, I
0:14:16 > 0:14:24have met the president probably on about ten occasions, and this is a
0:14:24 > 0:14:31very very complex country with a very vicious history full of
0:14:31 > 0:14:33conflict and tribal division. My right honourable friend the Minister
0:14:33 > 0:14:37for the Middle East who as I said earlier is in Geneva has been
0:14:37 > 0:14:46absolutely brilliant in trying to gather the maximum diplomatic
0:14:46 > 0:14:53pressure not only for this case but also for a broader settlement in for
0:14:53 > 0:14:55customer right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary, and I can tell
0:14:55 > 0:14:59from conversations I have been having with him on this, really very
0:14:59 > 0:15:04ambitious personally to try to do his utmost to use British influence
0:15:04 > 0:15:09and British influence in Yemen is perhaps greater than many of us in
0:15:09 > 0:15:13this has might realise. The voice of the UK still does matter. And we
0:15:13 > 0:15:17want, as a priority at the Foreign Office and indeed in Number Ten, to
0:15:17 > 0:15:21do everything we can't use that historic influence to try to bring
0:15:21 > 0:15:35an end to this disastrous period of conflict, and famine.I follow my
0:15:35 > 0:15:38honourable friend and indeed my friend in condemning the persecution
0:15:38 > 0:15:42of the Baha'i. Can he said at the role he believes the Government of
0:15:42 > 0:15:47the Sultanate of man can play in this case but also more broadly in
0:15:47 > 0:15:55successfully the situation in Yemen? -- Sultanate of Oman.I congratulate
0:15:55 > 0:15:58him on this question and say he is fast establishing himself on one of
0:15:58 > 0:16:03the great experts in this House, particularly on Oman and Yemen and
0:16:03 > 0:16:08the Middle East more widely. The Sultanate of Oman, great allies to
0:16:08 > 0:16:12the UK, are of enormous importance in the dynamics in any negotiations
0:16:12 > 0:16:15that may come forward to resolve the Yemen problem. Their history with
0:16:15 > 0:16:20Yemen matters to them of course, but they are next door to Iran, and
0:16:20 > 0:16:24their enlightenment in trying to be an honest and constructive broker
0:16:24 > 0:16:31with the Houthis is much appreciated in this country, and the Sultanate
0:16:31 > 0:16:35of Oman is a country to which we tribute enormous value and
0:16:35 > 0:16:38affection, and we look forward to working with them further as an
0:16:38 > 0:16:44important element in trying to find a solution to this conflict.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49He is clearly a very wise man indeed. He would perhapsbecause the
0:16:49 > 0:16:53grey beard, if he had one! LAUGHTER
0:16:53 > 0:17:00I thank the Minister -- perhaps be called the greybeard. The judgment
0:17:00 > 0:17:10has called for the confiscation of his goods, Mr Hadara, motivated by
0:17:10 > 0:17:16the desire to repress the peaceful religious minority. I think the
0:17:16 > 0:17:19information coming through was that Iran has an influence there. What
0:17:19 > 0:17:22representations as he had apart from the representations this morning
0:17:22 > 0:17:30upon this case? What action can vacate to urge the authorities to
0:17:30 > 0:17:34turn this down and what about the prisoners in jail who need medical
0:17:34 > 0:17:42attention as well?We have very little direct contact with the
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Houthis because of the complicated nature of this Yemeni conflict. But
0:17:47 > 0:17:53through all available channels, public, UN pressure, the UN Human
0:17:53 > 0:17:58Rights Council, collective comments within the Middle East through
0:17:58 > 0:18:04ambassadors and other fora, we have made every conceivable
0:18:04 > 0:18:06representation and I can ensure the honourable gentleman we will
0:18:06 > 0:18:09continue to do so and perhaps after this urgent question even more
0:18:09 > 0:18:17noisily and robust Layvin before.-- robustly than before. What is he
0:18:17 > 0:18:23doing to support the UN political process?We have been a full part of
0:18:23 > 0:18:31the UN process ever since the Arabs Spring of 2011, and the initiative
0:18:31 > 0:18:41which saw the
0:18:43 > 0:18:49replacement of presidents Saleh by Preston Hadi. As I mentioned, the
0:18:49 > 0:18:54Human Rights Council of last year, an important for part of that same
0:18:54 > 0:19:01process -- replacement of President Saleh by President Hadi.Would use
0:19:01 > 0:19:05this opportunity to restate the Government was my opposition to
0:19:05 > 0:19:09torture in any circumstances? And can he see whether there are any new
0:19:09 > 0:19:11concrete initiatives he is picked to come from the international
0:19:11 > 0:19:14community to try to stop the conflict in Yemen because of course
0:19:14 > 0:19:18it is that which has enabled this atrocious decision to be taken?It
0:19:18 > 0:19:21is very nice to have an opportunity to fully agree with the honourable
0:19:21 > 0:19:29gentleman. And certainly on the issue of torture, we are absolutely
0:19:29 > 0:19:32resolute in our opposition to torture and degrading treatment in
0:19:32 > 0:19:39all its forms. I have also mentioned earlier that we really want to start
0:19:39 > 0:19:42this year doing everything we possibly can to get people talking.
0:19:42 > 0:19:51We have done so through gathering together the Saudis technoratis, the
0:19:51 > 0:19:55UN, and we will continue to work with them and crucially in trying to
0:19:55 > 0:20:04find direct contact with people in Yemen -- the Saudis, the Emiratis,
0:20:04 > 0:20:12the UN. I think following the death of Abdullah Saleh in December last
0:20:12 > 0:20:17year people have been moving to find this out.What is the Government
0:20:17 > 0:20:23doing to address the humanitarian crisis in Iran? Jung I am familiar
0:20:23 > 0:20:28with is indeed from the days when I was a DFID Minister --yes, I am
0:20:28 > 0:20:37slow with this. -- familiar with this. We are concerned by nearly
0:20:37 > 0:20:43half a million keys of cholera, rising infant mortality, by the fact
0:20:43 > 0:20:46that almost all their food, virtually all their rights, is
0:20:46 > 0:21:05imported, and it has been important to open the port of the data --
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Hodeida, but this remains a difficult and complex problem in
0:21:07 > 0:21:11such a lawless and disintegrating society.
0:21:11 > 0:21:17May I thank you and your honourable friend for your dedication to
0:21:17 > 0:21:20religious freedom and human rights, may my honourable friend agree with
0:21:20 > 0:21:26me that human rights and religious freedom are an integral part of our
0:21:26 > 0:21:32work in humanitarian and evolvement aid across the world?Yes, if human
0:21:32 > 0:21:36rights and the rule of law are not upheld then the efficacy of
0:21:36 > 0:21:42development is severely reduced. Therefore I agree and it's written
0:21:42 > 0:21:46as a principle to all the ways in which differed goes about its
0:21:46 > 0:21:52business.In my experience the people of this faith, you could not
0:21:52 > 0:21:57find a more gentle and engaging people and maybe other persecution
0:21:57 > 0:22:03with great for parents. Can the Minister tell us what communication
0:22:03 > 0:22:08he has had with representatives of the faith in this country?We are in
0:22:08 > 0:22:17contact with the community in the UK, and as I said earlier, they are
0:22:17 > 0:22:23gentle, if you like sect of Islam who fully deserved to be defended
0:22:23 > 0:22:30whenever there is in -- inexplicable persecution which has been going on
0:22:30 > 0:22:33since they were founded as it where in the middle of the 19th century
0:22:33 > 0:22:38and to be persecuted from the start and have it persistently thrust upon
0:22:38 > 0:22:42them for over one and a half centuries is a miserable aspect of
0:22:42 > 0:22:49our relatively recent history.I welcome my right honourable friend's
0:22:49 > 0:22:55assurances of opposition to this terrible death penalty. Could I
0:22:55 > 0:23:01asked what assessment the government has made of the effect that the debt
0:23:01 > 0:23:07has made on the horrific crisis in Yemen? And the chances of positive
0:23:07 > 0:23:13resolution?What I am going to say it is my own thoughts as someone who
0:23:13 > 0:23:18has taken an interest in Yemen for so long rather than perhaps the
0:23:18 > 0:23:22official assessment of Her Majesty 's government because this is a
0:23:22 > 0:23:28fairly recent phenomenon and what happened was Saleh was working with
0:23:28 > 0:23:31them and then he turned against them and there was a serious battle
0:23:31 > 0:23:35between the two in which he did so what will now happen to the
0:23:35 > 0:23:41influence he wielded through the GPC and his own forces I think is
0:23:41 > 0:23:47difficult to assess at this early stage. I suppose at its simplest one
0:23:47 > 0:23:55could say it's probably reinforced the power of the bug I hope from
0:23:55 > 0:23:58that position of strength they might now be prepared to negotiate
0:23:58 > 0:24:02directly with Saudi Arabia and with others interested so we can reach
0:24:02 > 0:24:12the political
0:24:14 > 0:24:18solutionwhich is crucial for axis of humanitarian aid for some 7
0:24:18 > 0:24:25million Yemenis on the brink of famine.While support remains closed
0:24:25 > 0:24:31essentially an entire country was under siege and at risk of
0:24:31 > 0:24:35starvation. The UK Government has played a significant part in working
0:24:35 > 0:24:43with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to try to open up the port, I hope now
0:24:43 > 0:24:48supplies are flowing as the master and that they can increasingly flow
0:24:48 > 0:24:52in order to bring much