Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with the Turkish Ambassador about the existence of safeguards to (1) prevent the abuse of constitutional rights by state agencies, and (2) uphold the intended purpose of Law No 7242, passed by the Parliament of Turkey on 14 April.

We have regular discussions with the Turkish Government, including with the Turkish Ambassador to the UK, about the situation in Turkey including on human and constitutional rights. The amendments under law 7242 include provisions that are aimed both at lowering the prison population generally and, in response to COVID-19, a temporary release provision for convicts that are serving or have the right to serve time in a minimum security institution and those under supervised release. We encourage Turkey to ensure that these provisions are met.