Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Vietnamese counterpart following the sentencing in August 2026 of Montagnard Protestant pastor Y Nuen Ayun to seven years and six months' imprisonment; and what diplomatic démarches his Department has delivered on the protection of Montagnard Christians who worship independently of state-approved religious organisations.

The UK regularly raises freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) with the Vietnamese authorities, including through the UK Special Envoy for FoRB. Vietnam is a focus country under the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's FoRB Strategy, launched in July 2025. More broadly, we continue to highlight FoRB violations and abuses on the international stage, through our position at the UN and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance, ensuring joint international action on FoRB. We will raise FoRB and wider human rights issues at the UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue, and during the FoRB envoy's visit to Vietnam, in November.