Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Kyrgyzstan on (a) the Foreign Agents Bill and (b) freedom of expression and association in that country.

During his visit to Kyrgyzstan in October last year, my Noble Friend the Minister for Justice, Lord Faulks, discussed with Kyrgyz interlocutors a number of human rights issues, including the Foreign Agents Bill and other legislation that might restrict freedoms of expression and association. Our Embassy in Bishkek has also raised our concerns on a number of occasions with the government of Kyrgyzstan and with Kyrgyz parliamentarians.

We will continue to raise our concerns about human rights directly with the government of Kyrgyzstan, and in suitable international fora, at every appropriate opportunity.