Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his counterpart in the Guatemalan Government in response to reports of threats against human rights defender Domingo Vasquez and other members of the Nuevo Dia Ch'orti Indigenous Association in Guatemala.

The UK is concerned by reports of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) facing frequent intimidation and violence in Guatemala. Officials at our Embassy in Guatemala met with Peace Brigades International (PBI) in April to discuss the threats against Mr Vasquez and the Nuevo Dia Ch'orti Indigenous Association (CCCND). Since then the Embassy has been following the issue and continues to engage with non-governmental organisations like PBI, with the Guatemalan Government and the private sector, bilaterally and through like-minded groups of donors, to promote consultation with indigenous populations and better protection for HRDs.