§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he or officials of his Department have recently had discussions or other contact with the Government of Zimbabwe concerning the continuing allegations of ill-treatment and torture of British citizens or passport-holders in that country; what response he has received from the Zimbabwe Government; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the case of the Zimbabwe air force officers. Although some concurrently hold British citizenship, all are also Zimbabwean citizens and we do not therefore have any formal consular standing. However, we have taken various opportunities to express our concern at the allegations that the men had at one stage been ill-treated. These allegations are now being fully brought out and considered in open court.