Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the United States State Department, International Religious Freedom Report for 2017, published in May; and what steps they are taking to urge the government of Sudan to respect freedom of religion or belief.

Sudan remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I visited Sudan between 3-5 September and raised religious freedoms, including for Christians, with senior members of the government. I also met a number of Christian and Muslim religious leaders to hear directly from them about their experiences. Freedom of religion or belief is a core part of the human rights element of the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue, and will be discussed at the sixth round in October this year, as it was at the fifth round in April. The UK is aware of the Annual Report on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, published in May, and works closely with US colleagues on our shared priorities in this area.