Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20987, what discussions representatives of the British Embassy have had with the Columbian government on the detention of Professor Miguel Angel Beltran; whether they have raised concerns with that government on his current state of health; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

We work closely with the Colombian Government as part of our joint efforts to improve Colombia’s human rights situation. We regularly raise human rights concerns, including the treatment and conditions of imprisoned Human Rights Defenders, with our Colombian counterparts. During Dr Beltran’s trial on 25 January, the Supreme Court of Justice transferred the complaint on the conditions of Dr Beltran’s imprisonment to the Colombian National Prisons Authority and to the Offices of the Inspector General and Ombudsman. Officials in our Embassy in Bogota will continue to monitor Dr Beltran’s case and to raise our concerns with Colombian officials.