“Human Rights and Democracy: The 2011 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report” presented to Parliament by the United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office outlines the latest UK foreign policy for Russia and human rights offenders.

With regard to human rights offenders, the UK has specified that “Where there is independent, reliable and credible evidence that an individual has committed human rights abuses, the individual will not normally be permitted to enter the United Kingdom.” In its account of human rights in Russia, the report stated:

“The human rights situation in Russia continued to be of concern in 2011. Although President Medvedev emphasised the importance of the rule of law, the Russian government’s support for human rights often appeared ambivalent. Reports of grave human rights abuses in the North Caucasus continued; Russian human rights defenders and journalists remained at high risk; and the rule of law was still weak in many respects. Legislative change to reduce corruption and increased accountability in the police service represents a step in the right direction, but needs to be successfully implemented.”

The report further detailed human rights abuses in the cases of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, noting that they had been refused parole “on the grounds of minor infringements, such as the loss of a pair of prison trousers. Amnesty International recognised Khodorkovsky and Lebedev as “prisoners of conscience” in May.”

Prime Minister David Cameron has discussed the Khodorkovsky case with President Medvedev in Moscow, and emphasized the importance of “strengthening the rule of law” as a means to “Russia’s future stability and prosperity.”

A link to the full report is available here.