Human rights violations are taking place in Zimbabwe , the Foreign Office (FCO) has said.
In its annual review of human rights around the world, the FCO noted that the overall human rights situation in Zimbabwe “significantly deteriorated” over the course of 2013.
The report also noted the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia “remained of concern”, with a rise in the number of executions from 90 in 2014 to 158 last year.
While Britain, together with the EU, had been “vocal” in its opposition to the use of the death penalty while raising the cases of human rights activists faced with execution or flogging with the Saudi authorities.
“We continue to believe that raising issues in private is the most effective way of effecting change in this context,” the report said.
Saudi Arabia and Yemen are among 30 “human rights priority countries” listed in the report which also includes China, which has been heavily wooed by the Government in the hope of building trade and investment.
The report said Britain had consistently raised human rights concerns with Beijing “including at the highest levels” and that UK “co-operation” was assessed to have led to a reduction in the numbers of crimes subject to the death penalty as well as greater legal protection for the victims of domestic violence and rape.
It added however: “Barriers to achieving our aims included China’s reluctance to accept meetings to discuss sensitive issues. Requests for human rights monitoring visits to Tibet were refused.”
Others on the list include Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya – which have all been subject to UK military intervention – as well as Iran, which has recently signed an international agreement to limit its nuclear programme, and Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The other are Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic, Colombia, North Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Maldives, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Yemen.
