Written question asked by Baroness Hooper (Conservative) on Monday, 9 March 2015, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 March 2015. It was answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative) on Monday, 23 March 2015 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Venezuela

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Venezuela regarding human rights violations there, including the imprisonment of the opposition leader, the recent detention of the Mayor of Caracas and the shooting of student demonstrators.

Answer: We remain very concerned about the deteriorating situation in Venezuela, particularly the death of a 14 year old protester on 24 February. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), set out this position personally with the Venezuelan Ambassador during a meeting held on 12 March, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We are also concerned about recent Venezuelan government action against opposition politicians. The UK strongly supported the EU press statement of 24 February regarding the arrest of opposition leader Antonio Ledezma. It is vital that political freedoms are guaranteed in Venezuela.

Secondary information