Colombia: Human Rights and Religious Freedom

(asked on 17th July 2018) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Colombian counterpart on freedom of religion and upholding human rights in that country.


Answered by
Alan Duncan Portrait
Alan Duncan
This question was answered on 25th July 2018

I am concerned by levels of violence against human rights defenders and community leaders, which includes some religious leaders. We believe religious leaders have been targeted for their role as community leaders, and not primarily because of their faith. Colombia is designated a Human Rights Priority Country by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Our concerns about human rights were published in the FCO’s annual human rights report on 16 July which can be viewed on the .Gov website. I have discussed the situation of human rights in Colombia with visiting Ministers and with the Colombian Ambassador. The UK also raised concerns about violence against human rights defenders and conflict related sexual violence during Colombia’s Universal Periodic Review at Geneva in May.

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