Foreign and Commonwealth Office written question – answered at on 14 June 2016.
Joanna Cherry
Shadow SNP Westminster Group Leader (Justice and Home Affairs)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Burundi on (a) ending political violence and unrest and (b) alleged extra-judicial killings, torture, lack of freedom of expression and other human rights abuses in that country.
James Duddridge
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
I am extremely concerned about the situation in Burundi. During my visit to Bujumbura in December 2015 I emphasised to the Burundian Government that killings, torture and other abuses must stop and that they must take action to end impunity. I underlined the need for media, Opposition and civil society to be allowed to operate freely and that all sides must renounce violence and participate fully in the dialogue. I repeated these messages in my letter to the Burundian Foreign Minister in May. Our Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region reiterated these points in meetings with Burundian ministers in Bujumbura last week and during her visit to Arusha in May for the second round of the dialogue facilitated by former Tanzanian President Mkapa.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
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