Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Venezuela on the case of imprisoned trade unionist, Ruben Gonzalez.

The UK does not recognise the Maduro regime. The UK remains alarmed at the deteriorating human rights situation in Venezuela. Venezuela has a duty to uphold high standards of human rights, the more so as a member of the Human Rights Council, and to cooperate with the Council and its mechanisms. The UK will continue to support the work of the UN Human Rights Council's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission in Venezuela, and is committed to supporting a broad human rights agenda in the country. On 31 August, the Maduro regime announced that it had pardoned 110 political prisoners, including Ruben Gonzalez who has been held since November 2018. Though long overdue, the release of Sr. Gonzalez will be welcome.