Lord Collins of Highbury, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL474):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the situation facing the Hazara community in Afghanistan, particularly with regard to the findings of the 2022 Hazara Inquiry and the February report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan; and what consideration they have given to initiating proceedings before the International Court of Justice against Afghanistan for its failure to prevent and punish the crime of genocide, as per Article 1 of the Genocide Convention. (HL474)
Tabled on: 30 July 2024
Answer:
Lord Collins of Highbury:
The Hazara Inquiry report has done much to raise awareness of the situation of Hazaras in Afghanistan. In line with the report’s recommendations, we continue to monitor and document discrimination and abuses against Hazaras. The previous Government also welcomed the Special Rapporteur’s February report and noted its recommendations. While the Government currently has no plans to initiate a case against Afghanistan at the ICJ, we continue to consider all available accountability measures.
More broadly, officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials on human rights abuses in Afghanistan.
Date and time of answer: 09 Aug 2024 at 12:34.
