§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of human rights abuses by Russian forces in Chechnya. [146684]
§ Mr. RammellWe continue to be concerned over the human rights situation in Chechnya and consistent reports of human rights abuses. We are especially concerned over reports of rising numbers of disappearances and abductions. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 12 January 2004,Official Report, column 524W, for our most recent representations in this area.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Japan on the current human rights situation in(a) North Korea and (b) China. [155573]
§ Mr. MullinWe are concerned about reports of serious human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and China. We have regular human rights dialogues with the Japanese Government both in Japan and the UK. The most recent round of talks took place on 30 January 2004. Human rights issues in both DPRK and China were raised in these talks. We are consulting closely with the Japanese on how to handle the question of North Korea at the forthcoming Commission on Human Rights, given the DPRK's failure to respond to the resolution passed there at the Commission's 2003 session.