§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will make representations to the Government 83W of Malawi regarding the case of Mr. Ulaya; what reports he has received concerning violations of human rights in Malawi since August; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWe are aware of reports that Mr. Ulaya and other members of pressure groups recently formed in Malawi have been subjected to harassment and detention by the Malawian authorities. We understand that many were detained only briefly, but that Mr. Ulaya remains in detention in Mzuzu. On many occasions, we have drawn to the attention of the Malawian Government, our concern about human rights abuses in Malawi, most recently in a joint EC demarche on 20 October. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, including the case of Mr. Ulaya.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government to the Government of Malawi concerning(a) the detention and trial of Chakufwa Chihana and (b) the holding of a referendum on multi-party democracy in Malawi.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWe made formal representations in April and August this year calling on the Malawian Government to release Mr. Chihana pending formal committal proceedings and informing them that we considered his arrest and the subsequent charges to be a flagrant violation of his right to freedom of speech. On 20 October, in acknowledging President Banda's decision to hold a nationwide referendum, we urged the Malawian Government to ensure that the process was conducted with transparency and that those groups advocating democratic reform were allowed to do so openly and freely.