Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent official closing in Turkey of more than 20 media outlets; and whether they will make representations to the government of Turkey about those closures.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

In the aftermath of the coup attempt we have emphasised the need for Turkey to respect human rights, including press freedom, and the rule of law. It is vital that the Turkish Government’s response to the coup attempt be demonstrably lawful and measured, and undertaken in line with Turkey’s international obligations. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan) reiterated these messages to senior Turkish interlocutors, including President Erdogan, during his visit to Turkey on 19 October. We will continue to engage with the Turkish Government at all levels on these issues, and to monitor the situation closely.