Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the treatment of the Bahá'í community in Iran.

It was reported in May 2014 that a Bahai’i cemetery in Shiraz, where over 950 Baha’is are buried, was destroyed – there have been a number of similar such incidents in recent years. As well as the threat of imprisonment, Baha’is continue to face ongoing harassment and discrimination.

The UK works closely with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, who’s most recent report of March 2014 addressed the plight of Baha’is and other religious minorities in the country. The UK’s non-resident Chargé d’Affaires to Iran discussed freedom of religion and other Human Rights issues with the Iranian authorities during his visit to Iran in March 2014. My hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Hugh Robertson), issued a public statement on 14 May 2014 calling for Iran to abide by its international commitments to ensure all Iranians are free to practice their religion without fear of persecution.