24. To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the human rights situation in Russia. (107328)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2006 Annual Report on Human Rights, released on 12 October 2006, sets out a range of our concerns about human rights, democracy and rule of law in Russia. It confirms we are under no illusions about the situation there. We continue to engage with Russia on human rights issues, critically as necessary.