Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise threats made against Berenice Celeita, Claudia Julieta Duque, Andrea Torres and Jorge Molano with the Colombian government.

On 3 July, our officials were informed by the non-government organisation, Peace Brigades International, about the recent threats encountered by these four Human Rights Defenders (HRDs). Although the Government is unable to interfere in the judicial process of another country, we will continue to monitor specific cases where our resources allow. Our Embassy in Bogotá was already aware of the cases of Claudia Julieta Duque and Jorge Molano. Jorge Molano met our officials in the United Kingdom on 4 June to discuss the security situation of HRDs and justice for victims of the conflict. We remain concerned by the number of threats made against HRDs in Colombia. We regularly raise these concerns with the Colombian government and our Ambassador in Bogotá has discussed human rights issues with the Presidential Adviser for Human Rights and the Attorney-General’s Office.