HL Deb 06 November 2003 vol 654 c139WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they agree with the resolution adopted by the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union at their meeting in Geneva on 3 October, in which they regretted the decision of the Turkish Court "not to grant bail to the four former MPs … who have already spent seven years in prison owing to an unfair judgment"; and if so, whether they will seek to ensure that this case is mentioned in the forthcoming report of the European Commission's Regular Report on Turkey's Progress towards Accession, in connection with Turkey's compliance with Copenhagen Principles. [HL5166]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

FCO officials raised the case of the four former MPs with their Turkish counterparts as recently as 23 October 2003, at the latest round of the UK-Turkey Human Rights dialogue. It was clear from those contacts that the Turkish Government are determined that justice should be done in this important case, but that their own direct role also shows due regard for the independence of the judiciary in Turkey. Given the significance of these issues, we would expect them to receive appropriate coverage in the European Commission's next Regular Report.