Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 4 July (HL763), when they plan to raise with the government of Turkey the use of tear gas and rubber bullets against LGBT people on the streets of Istanbul.

I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 4 July in response to his question of 20 June 2016 (HL763), in which I stated that we regularly underline the importance of all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government, including freedom of assembly. We have expressed concerns over the disproportionate use of rubber bullets and tear gas by Turkish authorities.