Written question asked by David Drew (Labour) on Thursday, 31 January 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 February 2008. It was answered by Meg Munn (Labour) on Thursday, 7 February 2008 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Civil Rights

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to seek to ensure a free and fair trial for Pastor Fernando Kutino in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and if he will encourage the DRC Government to end the use of military tribunals in civilian cases.

Answer: We have registered our concern at the conduct of the trial of Pastor Kutino with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on several occasions. We have encouraged the authorities to establish judicial independence and will continue to monitor the situation and urge that due process be observed.We contribute almost one sixth to the cost of the EU Security Sector reform missions. These aim to deliver improvements in the DRC justice system. We will continue to work closely with international partners to ensure that support for reform of the justice sector is targeted and co-ordinated.

Secondary information