Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the authorities in Nicaragua on upholding the human rights of (a) Amaya Coppens and (b) other human rights defenders in that country; and if he will make a statement.

The UK is deeply concerned about the Nicaraguan Government's repression against its citizens who criticize the Government, including human rights defenders. The persecution includes intimidation, harassment, arbitrary detention and torture. The UK continues to call on Nicaragua to end this repression and cease its mistreatment of human rights defenders. We are aware of the particular case of Amaya Coppens, a Belgian/Nicaraguan dual citizen student protestor. As Belgium itself does not have a presence, the resident Luxembourg mission in Managua has been allowed access to trial hearings.