Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions Ministers or officials of his Department have raised the case of Mrs Nazanin Ratcliffe with their Iranian counterparts since her arrest on 3 April 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Since we were made aware of Mrs Nazanin-Ratcliffe's arrest in April 2016, Ministers and officials have raised her case repeatedly, at all levels, with the Iranian government. Most recently, The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) raised Mrs Nazanin-Ratcliffe's case with Iranian President Rouhani in person on 20 September, and followed up by letter on 3 October. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), raised Mrs Nazanin-Ratcliffe's case with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 22 September.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20987, what discussions representatives of the British Embassy have had with the Columbian government on the detention of Professor Miguel Angel Beltran; whether they have raised concerns with that government on his current state of health; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
We work closely with the Colombian Government as part of our joint efforts to improve Colombia’s human rights situation. We regularly raise human rights concerns, including the treatment and conditions of imprisoned Human Rights Defenders, with our Colombian counterparts. During Dr Beltran’s trial on 25 January, the Supreme Court of Justice transferred the complaint on the conditions of Dr Beltran’s imprisonment to the Colombian National Prisons Authority and to the Offices of the Inspector General and Ombudsman. Officials in our Embassy in Bogota will continue to monitor Dr Beltran’s case and to raise our concerns with Colombian officials.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20989, what information his Department holds on how many cases of murder of (a) human rights defenders, (b) trades unionists and (c) political activists there have been in the last three years in Colombia for which someone has been brought to trial.
Answered by Lord Swire
Although we do not compile statistics on these cases, the British Government receives regular updates from non-government organisations (NGOs) such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Peace Brigades International, highlighting the reported cases outlined by the Honourable Member. For example, Somos Defensores' 2015 report on the number of murders and threats made against human rights defenders: http://somosdefensores.org/attachments/article/134/los-nadie-informe-semestral-siaddhh2015.pdf
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will request representatives of the British Embassy to attend the public hearing in the case of the imprisoned academic Miguel Angel Beltran scheduled for January 2016 in the city of Bogota.
Answered by Lord Swire
The British Embassy was notified by the Colombian authorities in August 2015 of the detention of Professor Miguel Angel Beltran, who is held at La Picota prison in Bogotá.
The United Kingdom cannot interfere in the judicial process of another country. We take every opportunity to encourage the Colombian authorities to allow access for all to legal representation, a fair trial without prejudice and minimise delays.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian authorities about reducing the practice of locating military bases in rural villages.
Answered by Lord Swire
The government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reached a number of agreements in September 2015, which I welcomed at the time. These agreements included one on rural development.
I also welcomed the commitment made by both sides to sign a final peace deal by the end of March 2016. We continue to offer advice to the government of Colombia on implementation of the Peace Process and the potential role of the military in the post conflict phase.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian authorities regarding the status of the investigation into the murder of Benicio Flor Belardo Cazar on 11 October 2015 in La Meseta, Suarez.
Answered by Lord Swire
I was sorry to hear of the death of Benicio Flor Belalcázar. Whilst the United Kingdom cannot interfere in another country’s judicial process, we continue to encourage the government of Colombia in its efforts to prevent violence and threats against human rights defenders, trades unionists, political activists and civil society and to promptly investigate human rights violations.
As I have said to the House on a number of occasions, I am convinced that current efforts to secure peace represent the best prospect for the rights of all Colombians. This Government remains hugely supportive of this process.