Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has had discussions with its Nicaraguan counterparts on the arrests of Catholic priests.

The arbitrary detention of political leaders and of members of the Catholic Church by the Nicaragua authorities is of deep concern to the UK. These arrests represent an unacceptable degradation of Nicaraguans' civil, political, and other human rights. As I tweeted on 16 January, the UK welcomes the release of Bishop Álvarez and other clergy from unjust detention but condemns their expulsion from Nicaragua. We will continue to call in both bilateral and multilateral settings, for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Nicaragua, including remaining members of the Catholic Church.