Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports that Russia is restricting the peaceful religious activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Protestant Christian organisations.

The UK remains committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. The UK Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, plays a critical role in this. Reports of restrictions on peaceful religious activity reinforce the importance of this commitment.

The Government regularly condemns the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record in international fora. The UK will continue to call on the Russian Government to uphold its international commitments on FoRB, and to end its persecution of religious minorities, including Jehovah's Witnesses and protestant communities.