Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on (a) the arrest of Ivan Golunov and (b) the Russian Government's response to the subsequent protests.

​The UK welcomes the dropping of charges against Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov. The Foreign Secretary and I publicly voiced our deep concern following Mr Golunov's arrest. We hope his release is indicative of a movement towards greater press freedom in Russia. However, we are concerned that over 500 people were detained in subsequent protests. We call on Russia to respect freedom of speech and expression, and will continue to defend media freedom. We prioritise the promotion and protection of human rights, and will make our concerns clear in bilateral interactions at all levels, where appropriate.