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Powys County Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Islamic State fighters who returned to UK must face justice, says committee
Fighters with the so-called Islamic State (IS) group who returned to the UK after killings, terror attacks and persecution of minorities in Iraq and Syria must face justice, a committee of MPs and peers has said. More than 400 people who fought for IS, also known as Daesh, are believed to have returned to the UK after travelling to the Middle East to join the banned terrorist group. IS, which once held large swathes of land in Syria and Iraq, was responsible for widespread campaigns of terror, murder and rape often targeted against minority religious groups like the Yazidis. Estimates suggest 5,000 Yazidis were killed and more than 200,000 displaced from their homes by the terrorist group. Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) said none of the 400-plus IS supporters who had returned to the UK had been successfully prosecuted for their crimes. It called on the Government to take steps to ensure they can be tried in British courts, rather than in Iraq or Syria where the crimes took place. Ministers have previously said any such crimes are 'best investigated and prosecuted under local laws', according to the committee. But the parliamentarians said this was unlikely to happen in the Middle Eastern countries where IS operated. 'Where the UK has jurisdiction over international crimes, the UK should seek to investigate and prosecute such crimes,' the committee's latest report said. The UK courts face a 'key barrier' to exercising justice on war crimes and genocide, the committee said, as it is not possible to prosecute people for these crimes unless they are UK nationals, residents, or 'subject to service personnel laws'. Ministers must use the Crime and Policing Bill currently making its way through Parliament to amend the law, and ensure anyone suspected to have committed genocide or war crimes can face justice in the UK, the committee added. It also called for better co-operation between the Crown Prosecution Service and specialist police officers involved in investigating genocide, to ensure evidence is not lost. Lord Alton of Liverpool, chairman of the JCHR, said: 'This is not something the UK can simply wash its hands of because it happened overseas. We know that British nationals committed the most horrendous crimes in Iraq and Syria under the Daesh regime and we have a duty to see them brought to justice. 'To date, no Daesh fighters have been successfully prosecuted for international crimes in the UK and we find this unacceptable.' He added: 'We want to see more action from the Government in identifying the perpetrators, some of whom may have returned to Britain, others likely detained in camps in Syria. This will require better co-ordination from law enforcement and criminal justice, and also the removal of barriers preventing some prosecutions.' The report also calls for greater transparency about how the Government uses its power to strip British people of their citizenship because of links with IS. Shamima Begum, who travelled to IS-held territory a decade ago, aged 15, is the most famous example of the state's use of this power. But the report said the UK 'uses deprivation of citizenship orders more than almost any country in the world', and ministers must account for this. More must also be done to repatriate children held in camps in north-east Syria, the committee said, where conditions are 'deplorable', according to Lord Alton. He added: 'It is in the UK's interest to ensure they do not become a new generation of the radicalised and they must be brought home.'
ITV News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Islamic State fighters who returned to UK must face justice, says committee
Fighters with the so-called Islamic State (IS) group who returned to the UK after killings, terror attacks and persecution of minorities in Iraq and Syria must face justice, a committee of MPs and peers has said. More than 400 people who fought for IS, also known as Daesh, are believed to have returned to the UK after travelling to the Middle East to join the banned terrorist group. IS, which once held large swathes of land in Syria and Iraq, was responsible for widespread campaigns of terror, murder and rape often targeted against minority religious groups like the Yazidis. Estimates suggest 5,000 Yazidis were killed and more than 200,000 displaced from their homes by the terrorist group. Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) said none of the 400-plus IS supporters who had returned to the UK had been successfully prosecuted for their crimes. It called on the Government to take steps to ensure they can be tried in British courts, rather than in Iraq or Syria where the crimes took place. Ministers have previously said any such crimes are 'best investigated and prosecuted under local laws', according to the committee. But the parliamentarians said this was unlikely to happen in the Middle Eastern countries where IS operated. 'Where the UK has jurisdiction over international crimes, the UK should seek to investigate and prosecute such crimes,' the committee's latest report said. We want to see more action from the Government in identifying the perpetrators... This will require better co-ordination from law enforcement and criminal justice, and also the removal of barriers preventing some prosecutions Lord Alton of Liverpool The UK courts face a 'key barrier' to exercising justice on war crimes and genocide, the committee said, as it is not possible to prosecute people for these crimes unless they are UK nationals, residents, or 'subject to service personnel laws'. Ministers must use the Crime and Policing Bill currently making its way through Parliament to amend the law, and ensure anyone suspected to have committed genocide or war crimes can face justice in the UK, the committee added. It also called for better co-operation between the Crown Prosecution Service and specialist police officers involved in investigating genocide, to ensure evidence is not lost. Lord Alton of Liverpool, chairman of the JCHR, said: 'This is not something the UK can simply wash its hands of because it happened overseas. We know that British nationals committed the most horrendous crimes in Iraq and Syria under the Daesh regime and we have a duty to see them brought to justice. 'To date, no Daesh fighters have been successfully prosecuted for international crimes in the UK and we find this unacceptable.' He added: 'We want to see more action from the Government in identifying the perpetrators, some of whom may have returned to Britain, others likely detained in camps in Syria. This will require better co-ordination from law enforcement and criminal justice, and also the removal of barriers preventing some prosecutions.' The report also calls for greater transparency about how the Government uses its power to strip British people of their citizenship because of links with IS. Shamima Begum, who travelled to IS-held territory a decade ago, aged 15, is the most famous example of the state's use of this power. But the report said the UK 'uses deprivation of citizenship orders more than almost any country in the world', and ministers must account for this. More must also be done to repatriate children held in camps in north-east Syria, the committee said, where conditions are 'deplorable', according to Lord Alton. He added: 'It is in the UK's interest to ensure they do not become a new generation of the radicalised and they must be brought home.'
The Sun
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Fury as more than 400 Islamic State jihadis returned to UK without facing justice
MORE than 400 IS jihadis have returned to the UK but not faced justice, a damning report finds. Fighters carried out killings, terror attacks and genocide after joining the banned terror group in Iraq and Syria. 1 Lord Alton, head of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, said ministers cannot 'wash their hands' of crimes because they happened overseas. The committee said the Government has to make sure the jihadis are put on trial in the UK. Lord Alton said: 'We know that British nationals committed the most horrendous crimes in Iraq and Syria under the Daesh [IS] regime and we have a duty to see them brought to justice. 'We want to see more action from the Government in identifying the perpetrators, some of whom may have returned to Britain, others likely detained in camps in Syria.' Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'Terrorists in the Middle East are not welcome in the UK. They have forfeited their right to live here with their appalling crimes. 'Those that have made it back from ISIS need to be locked up and kept away from the public.' A government spokesperson said: 'The Government's priority remains maintaining the safety and security of the UK and we are committed to achieving accountability for all victims of Daesh's crimes. 'We will consider the findings of this report.' The Government said its priority remains 'achieving accountability for victims'.
The Independent
23-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
No 10 confident Chinese slave labour ban will not impact clean power 2030 plans
The Government is confident that preventing materials supplied by Chinese slave labour from entering the UK's renewable sector will not slow down the race to clean power by 2030, Downing Street said. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to introduce an amendment to the Great British Energy Bill to force the new publicly-owned company to stop using parts for solar panels linked to Chinese slave labour. The change will ensure solar panels, wind turbines and batteries must not contain materials suspected of being produced through forced labour. Asked whether there were concerns that this could hamper the Government's plan to provide most of Britain's energy through green sources by 2030, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'No. 'We remain confident as we always have done in our sprint to clean power by 2030.' Ministers had previously failed to back similar measures in the House of Lords, backed by crossbench peer and human rights campaigner Lord Alton of Liverpool. Asked why there had been a change of heart, the PM's spokesman said there had been 'discussions during the passage of the Bill', and insisted the Government had 'always said that we want GB Energy to be sector lead when it comes to this issue'. Luke de Pulford, the executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), had earlier warned that the use of slave labour extends throughout the renewable energy sector. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Unfortunately, there's a problem right the way throughout the renewables sector with state-imposed forced labour in China. 'They have labour transfer schemes where the Government conscripts, very often ethnic minorities, and forces them to work against their will, and sadly, many such workers are placed within the renewable industry in China.' A large part of the world supply of polysilicon, a critical material in the industry, comes from Xinjiang, the Chinese region where Beijing is suspected of human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority. Mr de Pulford was asked how difficult it would be for the Government to increase its use of renewables without using Chinese slave labour. He told the BBC: 'It's going to require a transition because China has such a dominance of the production of polysilicon and nearly 40% of that comes from Xinjiang and is connected in some way to these labour transfer schemes, so we're going to have to diversify. 'But it's not impossible and companies are, I think, slowly inching towards a better place – we have to find a better way of doing it, that doesn't mean that we have a green transition reliant upon Uighur slavery.' A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: 'No industry in the UK should rely on forced labour, and through Great British Energy we have a clear plan to build the supply chains needed to support a new era of clean homegrown power, bringing jobs and investment. 'We are working across Government to tackle the issue of forced labour in solar supply chains, and the relaunched solar taskforce is focusing on developing supply chains that are resilient, sustainable and free from forced labour. 'Having listened carefully to the views of MPs and peers, we are considering how we can go further to help ensure Great British Energy is a sector leader in this area and will provide an update shortly.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
No 10 confident Chinese slave labour ban will not impact clean power 2030 plans
The Government is confident that preventing materials supplied by Chinese slave labour from entering the UK's renewable sector will not slow down the race to clean power by 2030, Downing Street said. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to introduce an amendment to the Great British Energy Bill to force the new publicly-owned company to stop using parts for solar panels linked to Chinese slave labour. The change will ensure solar panels, wind turbines and batteries must not contain materials suspected of being produced through forced labour. Asked whether there were concerns that this could hamper the Government's plan to provide most of Britain's energy through green sources by 2030, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'No. 'We remain confident as we always have done in our sprint to clean power by 2030.' Ministers had previously failed to back similar measures in the House of Lords, backed by crossbench peer and human rights campaigner Lord Alton of Liverpool. Asked why there had been a change of heart, the PM's spokesman said there had been 'discussions during the passage of the Bill', and insisted the Government had 'always said that we want GB Energy to be sector lead when it comes to this issue'. Luke de Pulford, the executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), had earlier warned that the use of slave labour extends throughout the renewable energy sector. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Unfortunately, there's a problem right the way throughout the renewables sector with state-imposed forced labour in China. 'They have labour transfer schemes where the Government conscripts, very often ethnic minorities, and forces them to work against their will, and sadly, many such workers are placed within the renewable industry in China.' A large part of the world supply of polysilicon, a critical material in the industry, comes from Xinjiang, the Chinese region where Beijing is suspected of human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority. Mr de Pulford was asked how difficult it would be for the Government to increase its use of renewables without using Chinese slave labour. He told the BBC: 'It's going to require a transition because China has such a dominance of the production of polysilicon and nearly 40% of that comes from Xinjiang and is connected in some way to these labour transfer schemes, so we're going to have to diversify. 'But it's not impossible and companies are, I think, slowly inching towards a better place – we have to find a better way of doing it, that doesn't mean that we have a green transition reliant upon Uighur slavery.' A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: 'No industry in the UK should rely on forced labour, and through Great British Energy we have a clear plan to build the supply chains needed to support a new era of clean homegrown power, bringing jobs and investment. 'We are working across Government to tackle the issue of forced labour in solar supply chains, and the relaunched solar taskforce is focusing on developing supply chains that are resilient, sustainable and free from forced labour. 'Having listened carefully to the views of MPs and peers, we are considering how we can go further to help ensure Great British Energy is a sector leader in this area and will provide an update shortly.'
