Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they intend to have with the government of Sudan about that country becoming a signatory to the Convention on Torture; and whether they will table a motion at the United Nations Human Rights Council to seek a hearing on any violations of human rights, war crimes and genocide committed by the government headed by Omar al Bashir in Sudan.

The UK is very concerned by the human rights situation in Sudan, which is identified as a priority country in the UK's Annual Human Rights Report. Our Embassy in Khartoum monitors the human rights situation in Sudan closely, and frequently raises our concerns in meetings with the authorities. It also administers programmes and workshops to support greater progress on Sudan's human rights obligations. In March 2018, our Embassy in Khartoum funded a workshop for senior representatives of the Sudanese Government, which focused on the steps needed for Sudan's ratification of the UN Convention against torture, which it signed in 1986. We will continue to provide support on this issue and to ensure Sudan meets its human rights obligations.

There must be accountability for the crimes committed by members of the former regime. We will continue to work with Troika (UK, US and Norway), EU, UN and regional allies to explore how best we can support accountability, including at the UN Human Rights Council in September.