§ Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What was the date of their last discussions with the government of the Russian Federation concerning human rights in that country. [HL3328]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Bill Rammell) raised human rights issues with senior Russian officials, including the Russian President's Human Rights Ombudsman, during his visit to Moscow in April.
§ The next round of our annual bilateral human rights discussions with the Russians is expected to take place in the autumn.
§ Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether in the last 12 months they have discussed judicial issues with the government of the Russian Federation. [HL332]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean:The UK regularly discusses human rights issues with the Russian authorities. These discussions include various judicial issues.
§ My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Bill Rammell), raised judicial issues with senior Russian officials during his visit to Moscow in April. Specifically, during talks with the Russian President's Human Rights Ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin, the Minister raised pre-trial detention centres in th context of Russia's obligations to the Council of Europe.