The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 12th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government:
- what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Council on Monuments and Sites on 5 March that Tigray’s heritage is falling victim to fighting and “cultural cleansing”.
- what representations they have made to the governments of (1) Ethiopia, and (2) Eritrea, about the need (a) to take immediate steps to prevent any further damage to the cultural sites of Tigray, (b) to safeguard and respect all cultural property in Tigray, and (c) to ensure that looted objects are restored to their communities.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, FCDO): We are deeply concerned by reports of violations of international law and international human rights law from Tigray, and have raised our concerns with Ministers in the governments of both Ethiopia and Eritrea, making clear the overriding need to protect civilians and adhere to international law and international human rights law. We are concerned by reports from Tigray of attacks on places of worship as well as damage to cultural monuments and artefacts. Our Embassy in Addis Ababa has been in contact with the UNESCO offices in Addis, and is monitoring matters carefully. We are concerned by the growing weight of credible evidence of atrocities in Tigray, including looting. The Minister for Africa has called for the withdrawal of Eritrean forces. We welcome the announcement, on 26 March, of their withdrawal and call for this to be immediate and unconditional. We have clearly set out the need for independent, international, investigations into allegations of human right abuses and violations. We have also stressed the need for Ethiopia to safeguard its incredible diversity of faith and identity. Respect for cultural heritage is part of this, alongside freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief.
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Ethiopian army is preventing Tigrayan refugees from crossing the border into Sudan.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of reports of refugees being unable to cross the border into Sudan. We have raised the need to prioritise the protection of civilians with all parties to the conflict, and made clear our expectation that the Governments adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.
We continue to provide support to tackle the humanitarian situation in Tigray and to the over 60,000 refugees that have fled the conflict into Sudanese refugee camps.
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of Ethiopia is removing evidence of human rights atrocities in Tigray; and what steps they are taking to enable international monitors access to investigate these reported atrocities.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since the conflict started the UK has consistently called for independent, international investigations into atrocities reported in Tigray, and for the Government of Ethiopia to ensure full access for human rights organisations. We have made this clear to the Government of Ethiopia. We note the statements by Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister at the UN Human Rights Council session, and from the Office of the Prime Minister on 26 February committing Ethiopia to independent investigations into allegations of human right abuses and violations.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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