Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to the Moroccan Government on freedom of expression for people calling for independence in Western Sahara.

The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps, as we regularly make clear to the parties. We have consistently supported language in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara, including the freedoms of expression and association. Senior HMG officials raised the importance of media freedoms with the Moroccan Government at a Human Rights Dialogue between the two nations on 1 December 2022.