Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what review process was undertaken to establish that Turkey should not be designated as one of the 30 Human Rights Priority Countries.

The decision on whether a country is included in the Annual Human Rights Report as a Priority Country is based on the human rights situation in the country, assessed against objective international criteria; the trajectory of change; and the extent of the UK's work on human rights in that country. The FCO designated 30 Human Rights Priority Countries in 2016. As we set out then, our expectation is to continue to focus on those countries for the duration of this Parliament in order to ensure that the Governments human rights work has the strategic direction and consistency. We of course continue to monitor the human rights situation in Turkey.