Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the rule of law and protect lawyers in (a) Iran and (b) other countries where those working on human rights are at risk.

We regularly raise human rights with the Government of Iran at all levels, and continue to take action with the international community by reminding Iran of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to guarantee procedural fairness in legal cases.

All Human Rights Priority Countries are required to have a Human Rights Strategy, which includes working with human rights defenders. Our Guidelines give guidance to our diplomatic network on how to support and promote their work. Depending on the local context, this might involve making public statements, attending trials, or working privately with host governments. The UK also supports human rights defenders through programmes within the Magna Carta Fund. Officials in London regularly meet those working on human rights to understand how we can support them best. Working at the multilateral level, in November 2017 the UK helped forge consensus on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Human Rights Defenders, bringing countries together to recognise and support their excellent work done around the globe.