Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered further targeted measures against leaders of the Zimbabwe security apparatus following reports of the violent assault and torture of Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova.

The UK is seriously concerned about the challenging human rights situation in Zimbabwe. It remains one of the UK's 30 Human Rights Priority Countries globally. The Minister for Africa spoke to the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister on 8 June and expressed his deep concern regarding recent reports of the abduction and torture of three female opposition activists, including a Member of Parliament - Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova. He urged the Foreign Minister to ensure the Government of Zimbabwe makes concrete progress on human rights, including investigations into violations. The UK will continue to monitor developments closely and urge the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law and respect human rights.

Currently, the EU has an arms embargo against Zimbabwe and active targeted measures against the company Zimbabwe Defence Industries. There are also suspended targeted measures in place against three current and former security sector chiefs. The UK remains aligned to the EU's restrictive measures on Zimbabwe during the Transition Period. The UK will continue to assess the appropriateness of these measures in light of recent developments on the basis of human rights and progress towards genuine political reforms.