asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they are making to the Government of Russia concerning the arrest and brief imprisonment of opposition leaders, the shooting of Mr Farid Babayev, the harassment of some parliamentary candidates, the governing party's control over the national media, including the closure of the Samara edition of Novaya Gazeta, and the refusal of admission to observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. [HL632]

In our relations with Russia, we express openly our concerns to the Russian authorities about human rights and democracy, including on restrictions on freedom of expression. This engagement includes raising individual cases, bilaterally, and, where appropriate, in the European Union and Council of Europe contexts.

The Government issued a statement on 3 December expressing concerns about allegations of electoral malpractice relating to the Duma elections on 2 December, and endorse the judgment of parliamentary observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe that these elections were neither free nor fair. It is deeply disappointing that Russia prevented the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) from observing the elections. The ODIHR would have provided expert, independent election monitoring. The Government have urged the Russian Central Election Commission to investigate all allegations of electoral abuses fully and promptly. In advance of the elections the EU presidency expressed its concerns to the Russian authorities about the violent response to opposition protests.