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 reports of abuse of young Christian women, raids on churches and allegations of bribery of pastors in Kazakhstan.

The UK is committed to standing up for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will work to uphold the right to Freedom of Religious Belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our bilateral work.

Our Embassy in Astana works actively with local non-governmental organisations in Kazakhstan to support interfaith dialogue and engage authorities in constructive negotiations with religious groups. The Embassy has hosted four events in the last 12 months, bringing together representatives of a variety of majority and minority religious groups, alongside international organisations, and state bodies. The resulting recommendations are under review by government. The UK will continue to be a leading voice in support of Freedom of Religion and Belief in Kazakhstan.