FCDO must be willing to listen on state hostage taking

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In the report the Committee criticises the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for its “unnecessarily defensive culture” around its handling of state hostage taking and arbitrary detentions, which it concludes impedes scrutiny, hurts victims and their families, and undermines public trust.

The Committee’s report “Stolen years: combatting hostage diplomacy” called for a “zero tolerance” approach to state hostage taking. It found that the Government had failed to learn lessons in responding to hostage situations and has often been too slow – or entirely unwilling – to call out guilty countries.

Today’s report follows recent findings from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which investigates complaints about UK public bodies. It found that the FCDO was guilty of “maladministration” in the case of Matthew Hedges, who was detained in the United Arab Emirates from 5 May to 26 December 2018.

In today’s response, the Committee questions “the seriousness with which the FCDO takes constructive criticism”. It adds that it should not have taken an Ombudsman’s report to compel the Department to accept constructive criticisms, nor to take recommendations for reform seriously.

The Committee welcomes the Government’s commitment to carry out a review of guidance in cases of the torture of British nationals subject to detention overseas. It calls for this to be extended to reassess all cases where British nationals have received opinions of arbitrary detention and are being held in countries where there is a history of torture of foreign detainees.

Chair's comment

Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Alicia Kearns MP, said:

“State hostage taking is a heinous crime that causes immense suffering for victims and their families. Abductor states see people’s lives as geopolitical leverage and weaponise the citizenship of hostages to achieve their aims.

“Our last report found that the Government was routinely failing British citizens who find themselves held hostage or arbitrarily detained by states. It has now taken the weight of two critical reports – the Committee’s and the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s – for the FCDO to finally reassess its approach. It shouldn’t have taken this long. On the issue of state hostage taking, there appears to be a deep resistance to constructive criticism at the FCDO.

“We welcome the Government’s decision to carry out a review of guidance in cases of the torture of British nationals subject to detention overseas. However, this does not go far enough and should include all cases where British citizens have received opinions of, or are at risk of, arbitrary detention.

“The FCDO’s front end consular staff are devoted public servants, who do everything they can to support detainees and their families. But families must be able to have confidence that the wider Department is approaching the task in the most effective way possible. In our report we called for a Director of Arbitrary and Complex Detentions with a direct line to the Prime Minister, to advocate for detainees and their families. The importance of supporting families, who are dealing with the unimaginable, was a clear finding in our report.

“The Foreign Affairs Committee provides recommendations based on detailed, impartial evidence from a wide range of sources, including subject experts and those with direct experience. Recommendations are made with the sole objective of improving the work of the FCDO and outcomes for British citizens. The FCDO must be willing to listen – or risk making the same mistakes again.”

Further information

• Inquiry: The FCDO’s approach to state level hostage situations
• Foreign Affairs Committee

Image credit: UK Parliament/Tyler Allicock