Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Turkey on the imprisonment of journalists and curtailment of the free press in that country.

We continue to follow developments in Turkey closely and underline the importance of the rule of law and the protection of freedom of expression.

I raised these issues during my visit to Turkey on 19 October, and most recently with Turkey's Minister for Europe, Omer Celik, in a phone call on 7 November. HMG also regularly discusses such issues in international fora.

The EU issued a statement on 8 November expressing concern at recent events in Turkey, including the detention of MPs.