Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the execution of Reyhaneh Jabbari on 25 October, what evidence they have to demonstrate that the United Kingdom’s resumption of direct contact with Iran on 20 February has had a positive effect in reducing capital punishment in Iran; and what are the comparative figures for male and female prisoners executed in Iran during each of the last four 6-month periods.

We were saddened to hear of the execution in Iran of Reyhaneh Jabbari, especially as there were questions around due process in her case. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), made a statement on 25 October urging Iran to put a moratorium on all executions.

Obtaining accurate figures on executions in Iran is difficult. The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran reports of 852 executions in Iran between July 2013 and June 2014. However, as the Iranian government does not publicise every execution, it is difficult to obtain reliable figures.

The UK opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances, and we will continue to use our bilateral relationship to encourage Iran to improve their human rights situation.