Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the execution of anti-government protestors in Iran, and what discussions they have had with the government of Iran about this matter.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. On 8 December and 9 January, the Foreign Secretary summoned Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK to protest Iran's continued use of the death penalty against protesters. This same message has been delivered repeatedly through our Ambassador in Tehran, and in London, including when Lord Ahmad spoke to the Chargé d' Affaires on 20 December. The UK remains committed to holding Iran to account for its repression of protesters. Since October, we have announced 50 new sanctions designations on individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations in Iran, including the Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri on 14 January, his deputy on 23 January, and other judiciary figures responsible for Iran's barbaric use of the death penalty for political ends.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of British Iranian dual nationals detained by the government of Iran; and what support they are providing (1) the detainees, and (2) their families.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The welfare of detained dual British nationals remains a top priority. We lobby on health concerns and mistreatment allegations. We call on the Iranian government immediately to allow health professionals into Evin prison to assess the situation of dual British nationals there. We do not provide information about numbers of British nationals detained in a country when the low numbers involved may lead to individuals being identifiable.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides consular support to the families of dual British nationals detained in Iran whenever they want our support. We continue to raise their cases at the most senior levels, and discuss them at every opportunity with our Iranian counterparts. Our Ambassador in Tehran regularly raises our dual national detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran about the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; and what assessment they have made about the prospects for her release.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran's decision to proceed with these baseless charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is an appalling continuation of the cruel ordeal she is going through. Instead of threatening to return Nazanin to prison Iran must release her permanently so she can return home. The Foreign Secretary raised her case, and the cases of Anoosheh Ashoori and Morad Tahbaz, with Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian on 22 September and 8 November. Minister Cleverly met with Deputy Foreign Minister Bagheri Kani on 11 November. We continue to engage with Iran at the most senior levels and our Ambassador in Tehran continues to regularly raise our detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ministers hold regular meetings with officials to direct activity across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Ofice aimed at securing the release of Nazanin and other unfairly detained British nationals.