Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Iranian government about the imprisonment of Pastor Behnam Irani.

We are aware of the arrest and imprisonment of Pastor Behnam Irani. We remain deeply concerned about the detention and treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have called for the Iranian government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran and end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith. The UK's non-resident Chargé d'Affaires raised the issue of freedom of religion with the Iranian authorities during his visit to Iran on 12 March.