Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 March 2012.

Turkey

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent arrests of the Turkish journalists Mr Ahmet Sik and Mr Nedim Sener in Turkey.

Answer: The Government have not made specific assessments of the arrests of Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener. We share the concerns expressed by the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and others over issues surrounding freedom of expression in Turkey. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and I discussed human rights with Egemen Bagis, the Turkish Minister for European Union Affairs at a meeting on 1 March. We welcome the Turkish Government's recent proposals on judicial reform as an important step towards improving freedom of expression and are encouraged by the fact that further reforms are planned. Along with our European Union partners, we will continue to press for further progress on this urgent issue.

Secondary information