Written question asked by Andrew Mackinlay (Labour) on Wednesday, 28 April 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 May 2004. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Monday, 10 May 2004 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations Her Majesty's Government has made to the Colombian government concerning the protection of human rights defenders in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Colombian Government concerning the protection of human rights defenders in that country; and if he will make a statement. [170241] Mr. Rammell: We make frequent representations to the Government of Colombia on human rights matters, including the important issue of the safety of human rights defenders. Human rights are at the heart of our policy towards Colombia. Our Embassy in Bogota last discussed these issues with the Colombian Government on 21 April. The need to respect human rights defenders and the work of their organisations was highlighted in the statement by the Chairperson on "the Situation of Human Rights in Colombia" at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva only last month. It was also underlined in the EU statement on Colombia at the same forum.

Secondary information