§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current human rights situation in Cameroon.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd[holding answer 15 January 1993]: We welcome the lifting of the state of emergency in North West province announced by the Cameroon Government on 29 December and the release of detainees. We hope that the situation in the country will now improve. These encouraging developments do not, however, absolve the Government of Cameroon from their responsibilities for earlier serious human rights abuses in Cameroon. We have called upon the authorities to investigate the allegations. A statement in similar terms was issued by the European Community and its member states on 11 January, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
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§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Cameroon concerning human rights abuses.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd[holding answer 15 January 1993]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) on 3 December at column 316. We have continued to make our views known to the Cameroon authorities.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning the message to all Christians by the Archbishop of Bamenda in Cameroon, a copy of which has been sent to him.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd[holding answer 15 January 1993]: We strongly support the Archbishop's call for the abolition of torture and warmly welcome his appeal for peace and reconciliation.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the use of torture in Cameroon.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd[holding answer 15 January 1993]: We have received numerous reports from different sources alleging ill-treatment or torture of detainees. We have called on the Cameroon Government to institute inquiries into these cases.