Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will request that the UN Secretary General and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights dispatch a fact-finding mission to Iran to investigate the killing of children during the November 2019 protests in that country.

We are appalled by Amnesty International reports that at least 23 children were killed by Iranian security forces during the nationwide protests in November last year. We unreservedly support the right to peaceful protest and call on Iran to uphold its commitments under international law to protect freedom of assembly and speech. The UK regularly raises human rights with the Iranian authorities at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues, including at the UN Human Rights Council in March this year. We agree with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' call for a transparent investigation into the killings of protesters, including these children, in the November protests. We continue to urge Iran to allow the independent UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran access to the country, so that he can carry out his mandate, which includes monitoring and investigating any human rights violations.