Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Honduran counterpart on the guilty verdict findings against six environmental activists for alleged crimes against a mining company in that country.

The British Embassy in Guatemala (which develops and maintains relations between the UK and Honduras) has paid close attention to the cases of individual human rights defenders in Honduras, including the cases of the environmental defenders from Guapinol. Officials from the Embassy virtually attended court hearings in December 2021, January and February 2022, as well as sharing key messages on social media calling for due process and the Rule of Law to be respected. The Embassy has also called on the Ministry of Human Rights and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on several occasions. We have used these meetings to raise concerns about these and other human rights defenders, and the improper use of the Penal Code to punish human rights defenders, especially in rural areas. Support for the exercise of human rights in Honduras will be a continuing priority for our Embassy.