Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2023 to Question 117891, whether his Department is taking steps to offer support to Iranian political prisoners who are not British nationals; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of sponsorship arrangements similar to those made by parliamentarians in other European countries.

The UK supports protestors by ensuring that the Iranian regime is held to account for its brutal response to demonstrations following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini. UK action, alongside our partners, is shining a light on the regime's persistent human rights violations and ensuring it pays a political price on the international stage for its actions. In addition to over 40 sanctions designations under our Iran human rights regime since October, on 23 January we announced sanctions on the deputy Prosecutor General and six other individuals and entities. Through our sanctions designations, our work in multilateral fora and our lobbying, the UK is keeping the focus of international pressure on those responsible for human rights violations. We continue to offer consular support to all British nationals in Iran where they need our assistance.