Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the maintenance of human rights in Sudan.

The UK is very concerned by the human rights situation in Sudan, which is identified as a priority country in the UK's Annual Human Rights Report. Our Embassy in Khartoum closely monitors the human rights situation in Sudan, and raises our concerns at every opportunity. It also administers programmes which promote long-term stability in conflict affected areas, support marginalised groups (including women's organisations) and provide assistance for reconciliation within communities. The UK's public statements emphasise the importance of human rights, protection of civilians, and justice and accountability for atrocities committed by both the former regime and by the current authorities during recent events. We also discuss these concerns with partners in Africa, the Gulf and elsewhere and have delivered these messages in multilateral fora such as the UN, and the EU Foreign Affairs Council. On 29 June, the UK, alongside our Troika partners the US and Norway, issued a joint statement that called on the Transitional Military Council to respect the rights of the people of Sudan to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, permit peaceful protests, and avoid any use of violence. We welcome the African Union's leadership on the political and human rights situation, reflected in its suspension of Sudan as well as its commitment to a Commission of Inquiry into the events of 3 June. We are also working with partners to ensure the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) is focused on Sudan. We welcome the ongoing engagement of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and urge the Sudanese authorities to work with the OHCHR to enable the speedy establishment of a Sudan country office to carry out their HRC-mandated work.