Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the conviction of Paul Rusesabagina in Rwanda on 20 September 2021.

Rwanda has made significant progress on social and economic rights in recent years, and we work in partnership on a range of priorities including girls' education, building back from COVID-19, climate and the Commonwealth. But the UK Government remains concerned about restrictions on civil and political rights. On 21 September I publicly stated that the UK shares the concerns of our international partners about due process in the case of Paul Rusesabagina and his co-accused, and that whilst there must be accountability for violence against civilians, we will always defend the right to a fair trial. We regularly raise specific cases of concern with the Government of Rwanda and the Rwanda Investigation Bureau, and call for due process for all those in detention.