Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Colombian counterparts on reports that at least 44 environmental defenders, including 21 indigenous activists, were killed in Colombia from 20 July 2020 to 30 April 2021; and if he will make a statement.

UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government, and in multilateral fora. The UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, raised our concerns around killings of human rights defenders, including environmental activists and indigenous community leaders, on a virtual visit to Colombia in February.

Colombia is a UK 'Human Rights Priority Country,' and we consistently raise our concerns regarding violence against human rights defenders and social leaders at the UN Security Council, as we did at meetings in April, and on 13 July. We will continue to raise our concerns with the relevant state actors in Colombia.