Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Cameroon about the summonses used against Cameroonian opposition members on charges carrying the death penalty before a military tribunal in that country.

The UK is deeply concerned about the arrest and detention of political actors in Cameroon, including members of the Opposition party, on charges which attract the death penalty. On 13 February the Minister for Africa raised the UK's concerns publicly. She underlined that trials, including of Opposition leader Maurice Kamto, must follow due process and that freedom of speech and political expression are integral to a democratic society. It is a longstanding policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. The UK is a strong supporter of the UN General Assembly Resolution for the moratorium on the use of the death penalty.