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Human Rights and Democracy: the 2013 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report Human Rights and Democracy: and Rights Human The 2013 Foreign & Commonwealth Offi ce Report ce Offi & Commonwealth Foreign 2013 The www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk Human Rights ISBN 978-1-4741-0022-9 and Democracy: The 2013 Foreign & www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk 9 781474 100229 Commonwealth Offi ce Report 8743 FCO Human Rights Annual Report Cover V0_7.indd All Pages 04/04/2014 09:01 Human Rights and Democracy: The 2013 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by Command of Her Majesty June 2014 Cm 8870 © Crown copyright 2014 You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence v.2. To view this licence visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/2/ or email [email protected] Where third party material has been identified, permission from the respective copyright holder must be sought. This publication is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at: Communications Team, Human Rights and Democracy Department, Room E.3.310, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH. Print ISBN 9781474106276 Web ISBN 9781474106283 Printed in the UK by the Williams Lea Group on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office ID P002630616 06/14 Printed on paper containing 75% recycled fibre content minimum CONTENTS Executive Summary 6 Foreword by Foreign Secretary William Hague 8 Foreword by Senior Minister of State Baroness Warsi 10 SECTION I: Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative 12 What does the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative seek to achieve? 12 What progress has PSVI made in 2013? 12 International commitment to tackling sexual violence in conflict 12 Supporting political commitments with practical action at the national level 14 Support to grassroots organisations working to tackle sexual violence in conflict 17 International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict 19 Working through the UN 19 Looking ahead to 2014: the Global Summit on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict 20 SECTION II: UK Human Rights Initiatives, 2013 21 Freedom of Religion or Belief 21 Arms Trade Treaty 22 UK election to the UN Human Rights Council 22 Publication of UK Action Plan on Business and Human Rights 23 The Human Rights and Democracy Programme Fund 24 Tackling violence against women 24 Ensuring women’s participation in policy making 25 Supporting freedom of expression 25 Torture prevention 26 Freedom of religion 26 Business and human rights 27 Abolition of the death penalty 27 Supporting peace, development and women’s rights 27 Protection of journalists and their access to public information 27 The Department for International Development’s Work on Economic and Social Rights 28 Girls and women 28 Health 28 Education 28 Water and sanitation 29 Economic empowerment 29 1 SECTION III: Democracy 30 Elections and Election Observation Missions 31 The Westminster Foundation for Democracy 37 Freedom of Expression 38 Privacy Resolutions 41 The Arab Partnership 45 More inclusive political participation 45 Greater respect and space for public voice 45 Strengthened good governance 45 Women’s rights in the MENA region 46 Human Rights Defenders 46 SECTION IV: Criminal Justice and the Rule of Law 48 The Death Penalty 48 Torture Prevention 52 International Justice System 56 International Criminal Court 56 The Special Court for Sierra Leone 57 International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda 58 International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia 58 Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) 58 Extraordinary Chambers of the Court of Cambodia 58 Special Tribunal for Lebanon 59 International Humanitarian Law 59 SECTION V: Equality and Non-discrimination 61 Freedom of Religion or Belief 61 Women’s Rights 67 Children’s Rights 73 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights 75 Disability Rights 79 Indigenous Rights 80 Racism 80 Roma 82 Anti-Semitism 84 Anti-Muslim Hatred 86 Post-Holocaust Issues 90 SECTION VI: Human Rights in Safeguarding the United Kingdom’s National Security 93 Working in Partnership to Counter Terrorism Overseas 93 Deportation with Assurances 94 Counter-terrorism programme work 94 The Detainee Inquiry 95 2 Consolidated guidance to intelligence officers and service personnel 95 Oversight of UK security and intelligence agencies 96 Guantánamo Bay 96 Counter Proliferation 96 Export licensing 97 Cluster munitions and anti-personnel landmines 98 Reducing Conflict and Building Stability Overseas 99 The Conflict Pool 99 The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) 102 Women, peace and security 103 Protection of Civilians Strategy 105 Children and armed conflict 106 Looking ahead to 2014 107 UK stabilisation capacity 107 Peacebuilding 108 Private security companies 109 SECTION VII: Human Rights in Promoting Britain’s Prosperity 112 Promoting Responsible Business Practice 112 OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises 112 Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights 113 Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security 114 Conflict minerals 114 Anti-corruption and transparency 115 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) 117 Arms export licensing 118 EU Trade and Human Rights 120 Sanctions 120 SECTION VIII: Human Rights for British Nationals Overseas 122 The Death Penalty 122 Overseas Prisoners 122 Forced Marriage 124 Female Genital Mutilation 125 Child Abduction 126 SECTION IX: Working Through a Rules-Based International System 128 The UN 128 Country initiatives 128 Thematic issues 129 EU Common Foreign and Security Policy 132 EU Enlargement 133 European Neighbourhood Policy 136 3 The Commonwealth 139 The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe 140 Council of Europe 142 SECTION X: Promoting Human Rights in the Overseas Territories 144 Self-Determination and Democracy 144 Constitutional and Legal Protection of Human Rights 145 Extension of International Human Rights Conventions 145 Child Safeguarding 146 Prisons 147 Looking Ahead to 2014 147 SECTION XI: Human Rights in Countries of Concern 149 Afghanistan 151 Belarus 158 Burma 162 Central African Republic (CAR) 168 China 172 Colombia 180 Cuba 186 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) 191 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 196 Eritrea 201 Fiji 207 Iran 213 Iraq 219 Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) 225 Libya 232 Pakistan 237 Russia 243 Saudi Arabia 249 Somalia 255 South Sudan 260 Sri Lanka 266 Sudan 274 Syria 280 Turkmenistan 287 Uzbekistan 292 Vietnam 295 Yemen 300 Zimbabwe 304 4 Case studies Case Study: EU Training Mission for the Malian Armed Forces 15 Case Study: UK Response to Reports of Sexual Violence in the Syrian Conflict 15 Case Study: PSVI UK Team of Experts 16 Case Study: Responding to Sexual Violence in Burma 18 Case Study: Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence in Colombia 18 Case Study: 2013 Elections in Swaziland 33 Country Case Study: Bangladesh – Political Violence 34 Country Case Study: Egypt – Post-Revolution Political Upheaval 35 Country Case Study: Ethiopia – Justice and Treatment in Detention 43 Country Case Study: Rwanda – Freedom of Association and Expression 44 Case Study: Human Rights Defender Somboth Somphone in Laos 47 Case Study: The Death Penalty in Japan 52 Country Case Study: Bahrain – Progress on Reform Implementation 55 Case Study: The Role of Women in Afghanistan 71 Case Study: Women’s Rights in India 72 Case Study: The Plight of the Rohingya 88 Country Case Study: Nigeria – The Response to Terrorism 101 Case Study: Mexico’s “War on Drugs” 111 Case Study: The Open Government Partnership Summit 117 Case Study: The Rana Plaza Disaster 119 Photographic credits Front cover: A young mother crosses the border from Syria and becomes a refugee. UNHCR/S. Rich/April 2013 Credits for all other photographs appear in the accompanying captions. This report is not to be taken as necessarily representing the view of the UK Government on boundaries, political status or place-names. 5 Executive Summary This report provides an overview of activity in 2013 by the FCO and its diplomatic network to defend human rights and promote democracy around the world. It also sets out the analysis on country situations and thematic issues which directs that work. An important new focus of 2013 was the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI), which will reach another milestone on 10-13 June 2014, when the Foreign Secretary and the Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina Jolie, will co-chair a global summit on ending sexual violence in conflict. Other initiatives prioritised in 2013 were: • the defence of freedom of religion or belief worldwide; • agreement on the world’s first treaty to control the arms trade; • the UK’s election and return to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC); and • the launch of the UK Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. Our work to underpin democracy, defend freedom of expression, and promote wider political participation has included contributions through election observer missions and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. In conjunction with many NGOs and civil society organisations, we have supported human rights defenders – courageous people who often face repression and harassment. The UK has championed the rule of law overseas, working with national and international
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