Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Egyptian counterpart on the detention of Saeid Mansour Abdulraziq.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK champions freedom of religion or belief for all and, where appropriate, will raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her counterpart in Venezuela on the (a) vandalism of the Cuasia Church and (b) death threats issued towards Fr. Juan Manuel León.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Protecting the Freedom of Religion or Belief is an important objective for the UK all over the world. As part of our efforts to press for a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela, we will reinforce the importance of ensuring that the rights of all Venezuelans are upheld, including members of the church.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken with the Government of Nicaragua on restrictions on the importation and distribution of religious materials; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those restrictions on freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 November in response to Question 85308.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent attacks on Afro-Brazilian religious temples in Brazil; and what discussions she has had with her Brazilian counterparts on protecting freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to protecting freedom of religion or belief, as guaranteed under international human rights law. During the G20 Energy and Environment Working Group in October, the Minister for Equalities met Brazilian Minister for Women Marcia Lopes to discuss challenges faced by marginalised communities. In the build-up to COP30 in November, the UK organised a visit for a group of MPs to a 'Quilombo', home to a community targeted with violence and discrimination. This and other Afro-descendant communities are supported by the Amazon Catalyst for Forest Communities (AMCAT) programme, which strengthens tenure security, territorial governance and personal protection for Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in the Amazon Basin. The UK and Brazil remain committed to ensuring the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities are protected.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Indian counterpart on reports of recent forced burning of Bibles in the Rohtak State of Haryana.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer provided on 27 October in response to Question 83419.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Mexican Government concerning the proposed restrictions on the online expression of Catholic clergy; and what assessment she has made of the implications for freedom of religion or belief in Mexico.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to promoting freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression globally. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials discussed these issues with the Mexican Government during the Mexico-UK Human Rights Dialogues in January 2024 and May 2025. We understand that the bill proposed in Mexico's Congress to limit online expression by religious groups was withdrawn by its author following his engagement with faith groups. We continue to monitor developments.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart on the imprisonment of Aida Najaflou; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure her release.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to the answer I gave on 29 October to Question 83265, we are concerned by Aida Najaflou's case and we continue to monitor the situation for Christians in Iran.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the airstrike on a Buddhist festival in Sagaing Region, Myanmar; and what diplomatic steps she is taking with international counterparts to help ensure the protection of civilians in that country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to question 75108 on 17 September.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on measures to provide support to the Hazara Muslim population in Afghanistan; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to ensure their protection.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers do not engage with the Taliban, but Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans, most recently in October. The Government is working with international partners to maintain collective pressure on the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions. We continue to support the UN Special Rapporteur and his mandate to document human rights abuses in Afghanistan. Upholding human rights and gender equality is not only a moral imperative but also essential for building a stable, inclusive and prosperous country for all Afghans.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recent death of Roman Catholic lay leader, Dr Carlos Cardenas Zepeda, in Nicaragua; and what steps she is taking with her Nicaraguan counterparts to ensure the improvement of detention conditions in the country.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the UK's statements at the UN Human Rights Council on 28 February and 23 September, the UK remains deeply concerned by the relentless attack on human rights in Nicaragua. We will continue to monitor developments closely and urge the Nicaraguan authorities to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.