Dr. Yuri Orlov

HC Deb 28 June 1978 vol 952 cc1378-80

9. Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement in the House on his views of the action of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in prosecuting Dr. Yuri Orlov for his protest at Soviet violations of the human rights treaty signed at Helsinki.

Mr. Luard

No, Sir. The Government's views have been made entirely clear by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in answer to Questions on 18th May, by my right hon. Friend in the foreign affairs debate on 7th June, and by myself in a reply to the hon. Member on 8th June.

Mr. Winterton

Does the Under-Secretary agree that the prosecution of Dr. Yuri Orlov and other dissidents for their attempts to monitor the Helsinki agreement in the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union's total lack of implementation of this agreement are prime examples of the charade of detente being indulged in by the Soviet Union? Does he further agree that the attitude of the Government and the Foreign Secretary towards this question gives credibility and respectability to the Soviet Union's continued persecution of its own citizens?

Mr. Luard

I agree with the hon. Gentleman that the fact that the arrest and trial took place of somebody whose only fault was that he was trying to ensure that the Helsinki agreement, to which the Soviet Union is a party, was effectively observed is a major cause of concern and one of the reasons why the trial has caused such an outcry all over the world. As I said in my original answer, we have already made clear our deep concern, and the House as a whole has made clear its concern.

I agree that such actions cannot fail to have an effect on detente between East and West, but I do not accept the criticisms of the Prime Minister or of my right hon. Friend, because most of us believe that, despite the problems, we must continue to make some attempt to maintain detente.

Mr. Edward Lyons

Will the Foreign Secretary press the Soviet Government to open Soviet trials to foreign observers, particularly the forthcoming trials of Shcharansky and Ginsburg?

Mr. Luard

As my hon. and learned Friend probably knows, we had hoped that observers would be allowed into the trial of Dr. Orlov, but that was prevented. It seemed strange, if the trial were as fair as the Soviet authorities had suggested, that they should want to conceal the proceedings from the public. We may well make a similar approach for observers to be allowed at the trials of Shcharansky and Ginsburg.