Abductor states are weaponising citizenship of British nationals for geopolitical ends
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Today the Foreign Affairs Committee publishes its report “Stolen
years: combatting state hostage diplomacy”. The report calls for a
“zero tolerance approach” to cases of state hostage-taking and
arbitrary detention. State hostage-taking poses a growing challenge
for the Government, as hostile states resort to abduction and
exploitation of British nationals to achieve their geopolitical
ambitions and neuter the ability of rules-based order-abiding
countries to act....Request free trial
Today the Foreign Affairs Committee publishes its report “Stolen years: combatting state hostage diplomacy”. The report calls for a “zero tolerance approach” to cases of state hostage-taking and arbitrary detention. State hostage-taking poses a growing challenge for the Government, as hostile states resort to abduction and exploitation of British nationals to achieve their geopolitical ambitions and neuter the ability of rules-based order-abiding countries to act.
The report finds that the Government has failed to learn lessons in responding to state hostage-taking and has often been too slow – or entirely unwilling – to call out countries guilty of state hostage-taking. Communicating and working with families The Committee cites a number of examples in concluding that “ministerial communication has been plagued by inconsistency and clumsiness,” both in Parliament and with affected families.
The report calls for families to be treated as partners who have
the potential to be instrumental in the attempts to resolve the
detentions, rather than inconveniences. Quiet diplomacy or “going public” The report finds that, other than in the initial phases of a detention – before formal charges (legitimate or not) are laid, the FCDO’s presumption that family silence is always appropriate is false. It argues that families should never be left to feel that the only way the Government will prioritise their case is by acting against advice and, in some cases, their better judgement, by going to the media and to Parliament. The report recommends awareness plans be created with families by the FCDO. The Committee urges the Government to have frank, detailed and regular conversations with families on the likely impacts of “going public”, and advise and support on how to proceed in the safest way possible. Director of Arbitrary and Complex Detentions
The Committee calls for the creation of a new high-level role of
“Director for Arbitrary and Complex Detentions (DACD)” with a
“direct line to the Prime Minister”. Learning lessons The report concludes that the failure to pay the IMS debt to Iran sooner is highly regrettable and almost certainly adversely affected the length of detentions of UK nationals. The report also calls for a review of Diplomatic Protection in cases of arbitrary detention, the use of which has previously been “ill thought through and poorly implemented”, as well as meaningful engagement with families following a period of resettlement to learn from hostages and their families. Chair comment
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns MP, said: “While those wrongly detained face attempts to break their physical and mental health, the lives of their loved ones back in the UK are devastated. “The Government’s approach to state-level hostage taking is failing British citizens. Detainees and their families report ministerial clumsiness, serious and avoidable errors, and even callous and hurtful comments to families. “Our report calls for families to be treated as partners who have the potential to be instrumental in attempts to resolve the detentions – they should not be viewed as adversaries or inconveniences.
“Today we recommend the creation of a Director of Arbitrary and
Complex Detentions to act as an advocate for detainees and their
families. This will add much needed cohesion, continuity and
authority where it is currently lacking, overcoming the current
failure to have a central expert on resolving these heinous
cases. |