British government promises to act if companies or individuals fail to respect human rights on Eritrean mines

2018-06-26 11:18:13 Written by  Martin Plaut Published in English Articles Read 2070 times

In a response to a question in Parliament from Lord Ahmad, the UK government has said it will act if companies violate laws on Eritrean mines. The question was sparked off by the Eritrea Focus report on Mining and Repression in Eritrea.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL8640):

Question:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent report by Eritrea Focus to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eritrea, Mining & Repression in Eritrea: corporate complicity in human rights abuses, and its implications for Government policy. (HL8640)

Tabled on: 14 June 2018

Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:

​The Government has received the recent report by Eritrea Focus. Eritrea remains a human rights priority country under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Annual Human Rights Report. The FCO and the British Embassy in Asmara regularly engages with UK companies, and companies with UK investment, involved in the extractive sector in Eritrea. Discussions include their duty to comply with the legislative and regulatory requirements of operating in Eritrea, and the human rights of Eritrean nationals involved in their operations in Eritrea.

The British Government will take appropriate action against companies and/or individuals who fail to comply with the relevant legislation.

Date and time of answer: 25 Jun 2018 at 16:47.

Last modified on Tuesday, 26 June 2018 13:20