Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the kidnapping of Pastor Aarón Méndez Ruiz and Alfredo Castillo de Luna by a criminal group in Mexico in August 2019 and reports that they have been denied access to water, electricity and other basic services in order to force them to renounce their faith; and what assessment they have made of the level of violence against religious leaders in Mexico since 1 September 2019.

The British Embassy in Mexico City is aware of, and monitoring the cases of Pastor Aarón Méndez Ruiz and Alfredo Castillo de Luna. The UK Government continues to engage regularly with Mexican authorities at ministerial, official, and state levels to discuss human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), and to support a broad human rights agenda in Mexico. Most recently, the Minister for the Americas and Minister for Asia discussed human rights with the Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister when he visited London on 9 March. During the Foreign Secretary's visit to Mexico in August 2019, he raised human rights with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who expressed his support for working with the UK both bilaterally and multilaterally to protect human rights. Additionally, Baroness Williams raised FoRB with the Mexican Interior Minister in September 2019.

While civil society organisations continue to report cases of FoRB violations in Mexico, assessment by the Mexican Government, the local UN Human Rights office, and local civil society organisations is that while there are cases of individuals being targeted because of their religion or beliefs, people are more often targeted for their work and activities in defence of human rights. At the UN Universal Periodic Review session in November 2018, the UK made recommendations regarding accountability for human rights violations, and addressing impunity for violence against human rights defenders.