Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26922 and the statement with reference to genocide on 17 March 2016 by the US Secretary of State on Daesh atrocities, if he will reassess the Government’s policy on judgements as to whether genocide has occurred.

Mr Philip Hammond

The US Secretary of State is right to draw attention to the appalling crimes Daesh are committing, both against minorities groups and Muslims. We will continue to work closely with the US and our other partners in the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh and to ensure justice for those who have suffered at their hands. It is a long standing UK policy that any judgement on whether genocide has occurred should be a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments. As Secretary of State Kerry said, “ultimately, the full facts must be brought to light by an independent investigation and through formal legal determination made by a competent court or tribunal.”