Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Russia about any attacks on the democratic opposition in Russia and on free speech.

We are concerned about continued restrictions on the opposition and free speech in Russia. The Minister for Europe and the Americas made several public statements last year calling for the release or fair trial of dozens of political prisoners held by Russian authorities, including historian Oyub Titiev in Chechnya and filmmaker Oleg Sentsov in Ukraine. The interests of the Russian people would be best served by a political system based on strong institutions, such as an independent judiciary and a free press, together with a safe political space for dissenting views to be heard and free and fair elections.