Written question asked by Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party) on Tuesday, 8 June 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 June 2021 (named day). It was answered by Nigel Adams (Conservative) on Monday, 14 June 2021 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Human Rights: Sanctions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) body or (b) person is responsible for determining who is designated under the UK Global Human Rights sanctions regime.

Answer: As set out in the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, decisions to designate will be made by the Secretary of State and may only take place where the Secretary of State has "reasonable grounds to suspect" that an individual or entity "is or has been" involved in one of the serious human rights violations or abuses falling within the Regulations. The designation must also be considered "appropriate" having regard to the purpose of the regulations and the likely significant effects on the target. The regulations place an obligation on the UK Government to take such steps as are reasonably practicable to inform a person of their designation and to publicise this. As part of this, we will publish designations on the "UK Sanctions List" on GOV.UK.

Secondary information