Ian Stillman (Hansard, 18 December 2002)

§ Baroness Amos

Ian Stillman was arrested in India on 28 August 2000 and charged with possessing approximately 20 kilogrammes of drugs. He was convicted on 2 June 2001 and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. The Indian Government offered Mr Stillman clemency and he was released on compassionate and health grounds on 7 December 2002. A condition of his early release was that he leaves India. It is a matter for the Indian Government whether he is allowed to return.

We have been extremely active on Mr Stillman's case and raised it with the Indian Government at every available opportunity. Over the last year my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary discussed his case with the Indian Ministers on at least six occasions. Recently he raised it with the Indian Deputy Prime Minister, L K Advani on 21 August 2002 and the Indian Foreign Minister on 31 October 2002. Mr Advani said that if Mr Stillman submitted a clemency plea he would consider it sympathetically. The Foreign Secretary met members of Mr Stillman's family to discuss next steps in the case on 19 November 2002.

My right honourable friends the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and my honourable friend 123WA Mike O'Brien (FCO Minister responsible for India) have also raised Mr Stillman's case with the Indian Government. Recently the Prime Minister discussed Mr Stillman's case with Prime Minister Vajpayee on 12 October 2002 and subsequently wrote to him expressing the hope that Mr Stillman be released soon.

Our consular staff in New Delhi and London have done all they can to help Mr Stillman and his family. We have been in close contact with the latter both in the UK and from time to time in India. As Foreign Office Minister responsible for consular matters I also took a close interest in the case and met members of Mr Stillman's family twice this year.

We took all proper measures to ensure that the Indian authorities were meeting Mr Stillman's welfare requirements during his imprisonment. Consular staff monitored his welfare closely through consular visits (generally every 3 months) and by keeping in regular touch with his family. We were instrumental in ensuring improvements to many aspects of his detention. These included helping him to be transferred to a prison with better conditions and facilities, ensuring that he was provided with a wheelchair and had better lighting in his cell. Consular staff arranged for a board of medical consultants to examine him at a hospital in May 2002 and also helped secure permission from the prison authorities for medical and prosthetic specialists to visit him in prison. Recently they helped arrange for a diabetic specialist to visit Mr Stillman on 4 November.

We are very glad that Mr Stillman's case has been resolved. We hope his early release will result in a significant improvement in his health. The Foreign Secretary met the Indian Foreign Minister, Yashwant Sinha, in London on 11 December, and expressed his thanks to Mr Sinha and his colleagues in the Government of India for the compassionate action they had taken in securing Mr Stillman's release.