Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Russian counterpart on granting access to (a) prisons and (b) detention centres in that country to (i) the International Committee of the Red Cross and (ii) other international human rights monitors.

We are concerned about recent reports of human rights violations in Russian prisons and detention centres, particularly reported incidents of torture. We continue to prioritise the promotion and protection of human rights, and will continue to make our concerns clear in bilateral interactions at all levels, where appropriate.