Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Guatemala regarding reports of threats against the Indigenous human rights defender Lesbia Artola and other members of the Comité Campesino del Altiplano in Guatemala.

When Minister Rutley visited Guatemala in April, he spoke with representatives from civil society groups about the need to protect space for environmental and human rights defenders including those from indigenous communities. These concerns are regularly reflected in bilateral discussions we have with the Guatemalan Government and in international fora, including in the UK's response to the 42nd Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights in Guatemala. We also regularly raise the issue of human rights defenders and land defenders in Guatemala via our Embassy in Guatemala City, working in conjunction with other international partners, with the aim of promoting full respect for human rights for all Guatemalans. FCDO Officials attended a roundtable with the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Guatemala on 18 October in order to discuss the findings of their report and consider their recommendations.