Chile (Hansard, 18 November 1987)

§ 35. Mr. Tony Banks
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government have made representations to the 593W Chilean authorities on behalf of the 15 political detainees who have been either sentenced to death or recommended for the death penalty by military courts.

§ Mr. Eggar
Four of these detainees, sentenced to death for various murders and other terrorist activities, have their sentences under appeal. The remaining 11 have yet to be sentenced. With our European partners, we continue to monitor these cases closely, but consider it would not be helpful to intervene at this stage in the judicial process.

§ 63. Mr. Allen McKay
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Chilean authorities about the disappearance during September of five opposition activists.

§ Mr. Eggar
No specific representations on this case have yet been made. The facts remain unclear. But we have repeatedly expressed to the Chilean Government our belief that an orderly and peaceful transition to democracy in Chile is the best guarantee of respect for human rights in that country.

§ 82. Mr. Foulkes
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the content of his recent meeting with the Chilean Minister of the Exterior, Señor Ricardo Garcia, during the latter's visit to London on 23 October.

§ Mr. Eggar
At meetings which I and my right hon. and learned Friend held on 23 October with Señor Garcia, we expressed our strong concern over continuing violations of human rights in Chile, and discussed the transition to democracy in Chile, developments in the economy and regional matters.

§ 93. Mr. Boyes
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Chilean authorities over the alleged torture following detention on 3 September, of Señor Luis Tricot, a returned Chilean refugee who was, for a time, resident in the United Kingdom.

§ Mr. Eggar
We have made representations on behalf of the government of the Republic of Ireland where Señor Tricot had refugee status before he returned to Chile.

§ Dr. Godman
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding proposals by Her Majesty's Government to encourage the Government of Chile to comply with the United Nations convention against torture.

§ Mr. Eggar
We have on repeated occasions expressed our concern over human rights violations in Chile, most recently at the meetings on 23 October 1987 which I and my right hon. and learned Friend had with the Chilean Foreign Minister. We welcome Chile's signature of the United Nations convention against torture and the Inter-American convention on the prevention of torture, and look forward to Chile's ratification of these instruments and to their full application there.