Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Conclusion 20
Sixth Report - Stolen years: combatting state hostage diplomacy
Published 4 Apr 2023
Paragraph 59
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee The FCDO’s approach to state level hostage situations All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The Government and its allies have missed key opportunities to publicly demonstrate the importance placed on the release of UK nationals, both privately and in public. The decision of Richard Ratcliffe to begin a hunger strike is perhaps the starkest example of this failure. The onus should be on FCDO officials and ministers to demonstrate to the detaining state and to the families of state hostages that they 50 Stolen years: combatting state hostage diplomacy consider the detention of those concerned as both unjust and an issue that is considered distinct from other diplomatic priorities. 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.
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, Sixth Report - Stolen years: combatting state hostage diplomacy (HC 166), paragraph 59, 4 April 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 6 July 2023 (deadline 4 June 2023).