PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Vitalina Koval (29 October 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Ukrainian counterpart on criminal penalties against the perpetrator of the violent attack on human rights defender Vitalina Koval.

Asked by:
Fabian Hamilton (Labour)

Vitalina Koval brought her case to the attention of Foreign & Commonwealth Office officials when she met them on 21 October, and discussed the issues of hate crime and discrimination faced by the LGBT community in Ukraine and a strategy to bring these issues to the attention of President Zelenskyy's administration.

The United Kingdom is committed to pursuing a comprehensive human rights agenda in Ukraine, including LGBT and gender equality. This year, the United Kingdom is supporting projects which help the LGBT community to enact practical and legislative changes in Ukraine, for example by building allies and changing perceptions of LGBT people.

Answered by:
Christopher Pincher (Independent)
5 November 2019