Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Mexican counterpart on the killing of journalist Fredid Roman in that country.

On 23rd August, our Embassy in Mexico City publicly called on the Mexican authorities to investigate the case murder of Fredid Roman fully and to support journalists in danger. Whilst the former Foreign Secretary has not discussed this specific case with the Mexican Foreign Minister, we continue to engage regularly with Mexican authorities at ministerial, official, and state level on a range of human rights issues in Mexico, including media freedom. Mexico's agreement to establish a bilateral human rights dialogue is a welcome step and, Minister Ford discussed human rights with the Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister in June. We work closely with civil society organisations on understanding and reducing the risks faced by journalists and human rights defenders. On 7th June, the FCDO's Media Freedom Coordinator participated in a consultation panel organised by UNESCO and the Mexican Government to establish a new National Prevention and Protection System for human rights defenders and journalists.