Written question asked by George Osborne (Conservative) on Thursday, 11 November 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 17 November 2004. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Wednesday, 17 November 2004 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has raised the case of Mr Fathi Eljahmi and his treatment by the Libyan Government with the Libyan Government.

Answer: Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has raised the case of Mr. Fathi al Jehmi and his treatment by the Libyan Government with the Libyan Government. [198154] Mr. Rammell: The Government are aware of the case of Fathi al Jehmi and is monitoring developments. The Government continues to have and to raise concerns about Libya's human rights record, including restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, the treatment of political prisoners, arbitrary detention and on conditions in Libyan prisons. The Government welcomed Amnesty International's visit to Libya in February--the first since 1988--and their report "Time to Make Human Rights a Reality". The report included the case of Fathi al Jehmi. The Government have been speaking to the Libyan authorities about this report and will continue to look for ways in which it can work with the Libyan authorities to improve the human rights situation there. This has included a number of visits to the United Kingdom by Libyan human rights groups, and a Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded project to work with the Libyan authorities to improve the management of their prisons.

Secondary information