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 Colombian authorities regarding the murder of Jhon Jairo Rodriguez, Cecilia Culcue de Noscue, Evaristo Dagua Troches and Victor Andres Florez in the Cauca region of Colombia in 2016.

The UK and Colombia continue to work closely together to strengthen human rights. The Prime Minister raised human rights concerns on 2 November with President Juan Manuel Santos, during his recent state visit to the UK. They discussed reports of increased attacks against human rights defenders, including trade unionists.

We are aware of the recent murder of Jhon Jairo Rodriguez, Cecilia Culcue de Noscue, Evaristo Dagua Troches and Victor Andres Florez in the Cauca region of Colombia. During a regional trip to Cauca later this year, British Embassy officials will meet FENSUAGRO union members to hear first-hand information on the human rights situation in the region. Our Embassy in Bogota also participates in the local European Union Human Rights Working Group. On 19 September the Working Group wrote to the Colombian Attorney General regarding specific cases of trade unionists, including FENSUAGRO members.