§ Lord Ahmedasked Her Majesty's Government:
What Britain has done to minimise the suffering of the civilian population in Chechnya; and what is being done to help the Chechen refugees in the neighbouring Russian Republic of Ingushetia. [HL1692]
§ Baroness AmosThe UK, together with EU partners, has condemned the use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force in Chechnya. We have taken every opportunity to call for a political process to end the conflict. We have asked for a full and transparent investigation into allegations of human rights abuses, and for improved access to the region for international organisations. To assist displaced people in the region, the UK is contributing £1.7 million to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and around 0.8 million euro (£0.5 million) as our contribution to the assistance allocated by the European Commission Humanitarian Office.