Indonesia: Religious Freedom

(asked on 24th March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Indonesia.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 14th April 2021

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. Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and discuss practices and laws that discriminate on the basis of religion or belief. On a multilateral level, we work within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance ('Alliance') and other international organisations and networks to promote and protect FoRB for all where it is threatened. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to FoRB by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB. Mrs Bruce represents the UK at meetings of the Alliance who work to advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted on the basis of their faith or belief.

In Indonesia, Embassy officials regularly meet with senior members of all six official faiths and also with Ahmadiyah and Shia communities. The British Ambassador to Indonesia met with the Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister on 19 January 2021 and discussed this issue.

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