Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Sudan about the life sentence imposed on the Czech aid worker Petr Jasek, and the imprisonment of Reverend Hassan Abduraheem Kodi Taour and Abdulmonem Abdumawla; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which the court proceedings met internationally accepted standards of justice and were in accordance with the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We are deeply concerned by the verdict in the case against Pastor Hassan Abduelraheen Kodi, Petr Jasek, and Abdulmonem Abdumawlla. We are aware that the defendants have the right to appeal. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum were present in court for the verdict, and together with our international partners, coordinated attendance at all hearings since the defendants' initial arrest. We have regularly raised our concerns over this case directly with the government of Sudan, most recently on 22 January; and we will continue to do so as part of our ongoing human rights dialogue.

We call on all countries to comply with their international human rights obligations. We support the work of the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan to assess efforts undertaken by the government to respond to recommendations made in this context.