Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the treatment of political prisoners in Togo who oppose the Togo Government.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The British Government strongly supports the delivery and upholding of human rights for all. During the UN Universal Periodic Review for Togo in October 2016, the UK welcomed its accession to the Second Operational Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty as well as its election to the Human Rights Council. The UK raised concerns on: child trafficking, prison policies, prison overcrowding and the treatment of detainees. We recommended that allegations of arbitrary arrest and detention and allegations of torture should be investigated thoroughly.
Togo has subsequently made welcome progress on human rights, taking steps to prevent torture and other human rights violations by the security forces. The continued resistance to ensure the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people remains deeply troubling and we urge the Government of Togo to implement laws that protect all individuals.