Iran: Human Rights Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Iran: Human Rights

Lord Dholakia Excerpts
Tuesday 10th June 2014

(10 years, 6 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Wallace of Saltaire Portrait Lord Wallace of Saltaire
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My Lords, we have close and continuing discussions with the United States on Iran, as on other Middle Eastern questions. I am conscious that one of my colleagues was talking to his American opposite number yesterday. We deal with many states across the world whose record on human rights is imperfect, if not awful. Nevertheless, we have to deal with them and try our best to improve their record.

Lord Dholakia Portrait Lord Dholakia (LD)
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My Lords, will my noble friend bring some pressure to bear on the Iranian regime to ensure that the UN special rapporteur, Mr Ahmed Shaheed, is admitted and granted a visa so that he can examine precisely what is going on in some of the penal establishments in Iran?

Lord Wallace of Saltaire Portrait Lord Wallace of Saltaire
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My Lords, we are doing so and recognise that that is an enormous problem. That issue was flagged in his most recent report.