Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the 18-year prison sentence imposed on the Turkish opposition MP Mr Lezgin Botan; and what response, if any, they intend to make.

​We expect Turkey to undertake any legal processes against MPs fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law. We regularly encourage Turkey to respect its human rights obligations, including the right to freedom of expression. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas consistently raise these issues with their Turkish counterparts and will continue to do so.