Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications of the Special Court of Iran acting under Article 49 of the Iranian Constitution to authorise the expropriation of the properties and lands of members of the Baha’i community; and if will he make a statement.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief for all is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. Reports indicate that the Iranian government has this year redoubled its repressive efforts against the Baha'i community, with expropriation and repossession of land, destruction of homes, and increasing detention of members of the community. On 5 August 2022 the FCDO Minister responsible for Human Rights and Freedom of Religion and Belief, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon issued a statement calling on Iran to end its unlawful repression of the Baha'i community. I reiterated our commitment to holding Iran to account for its targeting of the Baha'i community at a Westminster Hall debate on 11 October.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential threat of human rights violations against the Bahai community in Iran.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The Baha'i community in Iran is systematically discriminated against, harassed, and is targeted by the authorities. Reports indicate that the Iranian government has this year redoubled repressive efforts against the Baha'i community, with expropriation and repossession of land, destruction of homes, and increasing detention of members of the community. As the FCDO Minister responsible for Human Rights and Freedom of Religion and Belief, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, said on 5 August: persecution of religious minorities is a serious human rights violation and cannot be tolerated in 2022. I reiterated our commitment to holding Iran to account at a Westminster Hall debate on 11 October.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the persecution of followers of the Baha'i faith in Iran; and what steps they are taking in response.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief for all is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. We have previously expressed our deep concern at reports of expropriation and repossession of land owned by Baha'i communities in Ivel. The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted.
On 5 August 2022 I said; "The persecution of religious minorities cannot be tolerated in 2022." We strongly condemn the increasing detention of members of the Baha'i community in Iran, as well as reports of forced closures of their businesses and land seizures. The persecution of religious minorities is a serious violation of international human rights law. We are working closely with our international partners to hold Iran to account and continue to raise human rights concerns regularly with the Iranian government.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief for all is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted.
On 5 August 2022 the FCDO Minister responsible for Human Rights and Freedom of Religion and Belief, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, said; The persecution of religious minorities cannot be tolerated in 2022. We strongly condemn the increasing detention of members of the Baha'i community in Iran, as well as reports of forced closures of their businesses and land seizures. The persecution of religious minorities is a serious violation of international human rights law. We are working closely with our international partners to hold Iran to account and continue to raise human rights concerns regularly with the Iranian government.
Found: We’re inviting faith leaders and representatives.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of reports of property seizures of people belonging to the Bahai' community in Iran; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief for all is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. Addressing reports of expropriation and repossession of land owned by Baha'i communities in Ivel remains important to HMG. The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted.
We repeatedly raise human rights issues with the Iranian Government at all appropriate opportunities and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record. In November 2021, we co-sponsored the annual UN Third Committee resolution on human rights in Iran which called on the Government of Iran to release all religious practitioners imprisoned for their membership in or activities on behalf of a recognized or unrecognized minority religious or belief group.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote freedom of religion or belief for Baha’is.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.
We remain deeply concerned about the severity and scale of violations and abuses towards the Baha'i community in different parts of the world. Bilaterally, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and do not shy away from challenging those we believe are not meeting their obligations whether publicly or in private. For instance, On 22 April 2021, The Minister for the Middle East, North Africa and North America, outlined to Parliament in a Westminster Hall debate the efforts of the UK Government to hold Iran to account for its mistreatment toward followers of the Baha'i faith.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights implications of the exclusion of Baháʼí students from universities in Iran as a consequence of policies set by the Iranian Education Monitoring and Evaluation Organization; and what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Iran in relation to such exclusions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.
The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted. We have repeatedly raised these persistent human rights violations with Iran. On 9 March, at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK called on Iran to end the discrimination and persecution of religious minorities, particularly towards the Baha'i and Christian converts. The education ministry's reported policies are another example of this discrimination. All religious or ethnic minorities should be allowed to participate fully in society and, together with the international community, we have pressed Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues. We call on President Raisi to set Iran on a different course and commit to improving human rights in Iran, including for all religious minorities.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
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 Iranian counterpart on the persecution of Zoroastrians in that country.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.
While Zoroastrians are formally protected in the Iranian constitution, the reality is that many non-Muslims face discrimination. Meanwhile, the Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted. We have repeatedly raised these persistent human rights violations with Iran. On 9 March, at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK called on Iran to end the discrimination and persecution of religious minorities, particularly towards the Baha'i and Christian converts.
We condemn the incarceration of all religious minorities for the act of practicing their faith in Iran. We regularly raise human rights with the Iranians at all levels and take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues.