Asked by: Adrian Bailey (Labour (Co-op) - West Bromwich West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he is making to the Zimbabwean Government on respecting the rights of protesters.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Development)
We continue to call on the Government of Zimbabwe to investigate all allegations of human rights violations and urge them to follow the due process of law for all those arrested in connection to January's protests. The British Embassy in Harare regularly raise the rights of protestors in their meetings with the Government of Zimbabwe.
I summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador on 17 January to urge the security forces to stop using disproportionate force and reinforce the right of the people of Zimbabwe to protest. On 30 January, I spoke to Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Moyo, repeating our calls for an end to human rights abuses and a full investigation into all alleged abuse, including arbitrary arrests.