Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which Iran is in fulfilment of its obligations under Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 2013, President Rouhani made a number of comments in support of greater religious freedom in Iran. Unfortunately there has been no change in Iran’s approach over the past year. Religious minority groups in Iran continue to face widespread discrimination. The UK has repeatedly called on the Iranian government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians. The UK most recently raised the issue of freedom of religion and belief during Iran's Universal Periodic Review on 31 October.