Written question asked by Rushanara Ali (Labour) on Tuesday, 22 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 October 2019. It was answered by Andrew Murrison (Conservative) on Tuesday, 29 October 2019 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

International Assistance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure those responsible for attack on humanitarian workers overseas are held to account.

Answer: The primary responsibility for prosecuting those who attack humanitarian workers in any context lies with the relevant state authorities. In a conflict context, where the state authorities are unable or unwilling to do this, international accountability mechanisms may be invoked, as appropriate. The UK supports international mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court or ad hoc tribunals acting within their mandates when grave violations of international humanitarian law are suspected, and the state is genuinely unable or unwilling to investigate or prosecute.

Secondary information