Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Indonesian Government on the killings of (a) Zhage Sil and (b) other clergy in that country.

We are aware of the death of Zhage Sil in Papua in December and support the steps that the Indonesian government has taken to investigate the incident. We recognise there are significant challenges in the region, including human rights concerns, sporadic violence and the security situation in some areas. We have not raised this specific case with the Indonesian Government, but the Foreign Secretary discussed Papua with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on 14 October 2020. The UK fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia, including the provinces of Papua and West Papua. We regularly press the Indonesian authorities to address all legitimate human rights concerns, including on Freedom of Religion and Belief (FORB).