Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications of the killing of 43 people by police in Colombia during protests in April and May 2021 for the UK-Andean trade agreement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
We have raised our concerns with all levels of government in Colombia regarding human rights violations. We welcome the Colombian government’s commitment to transparent investigations into all allegations of excessive use of force, and to take appropriate action against those responsible.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK arms sold to Colombia are not being used against the civilian population.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Arms exports require an export licence, and all export licence applications are assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the “Consolidated Criteria”).
The Consolidated Criteria take into account our obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty and other relevant rules of international law. They provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to think hard about the possible impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. These are not decisions we take lightly and HM Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria, including if there is a clear risk, that the items might be used for internal repression.
In addition, HM Government is able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances require, and this is done in line with the Consolidated Criteria.