Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth
Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Tel: 0207 008 5000
The Lord Alton of Liverpool
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
3 September 2021
Dear David,
Thank you for your correspondence to the Foreign Secretary on 11 December and to myself on 31 January regarding the Genocide Amendment. I apologise for the delay in responding.
I would like to thank you for drawing our attention to the statement issued by the International Bar Association – this has duly been noted.
The Government shares the grave concerns underpinning the amendment passed by the House of Lords, and understands the strength of feeling on this issue. That is why, through the Neill amendment to the Trade Bill, the Government supported a process that guarantees scrutiny and debate where Parliament has established for itself that ‘credible reports’ of genocide exist and this is reflected in the published reports of a responsible Select Committee.
The Committee will not be able to make a determination of genocide. As you have rightly stated in your email, it has been, and remains, the Government’s long-standing policy that any determination of genocide should only be made by a competent court, rather than by a government or non-judicial body.
A competent court is a court that has jurisdiction over the matter.
The amendment places a specific duty on the Government to act where the responsible Committee has published its concerns, and it does this without affecting the UK’s constitutional structures. This amendment underscores the Government’s commitment to continuing to work closely with Parliament on this vitally important issue.
Yours sincerely,
LORD (TARIQ) AHMAD OF WIMBLEDON
Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth
Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
