Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will discuss with his Iranian counterpart the steps needed to raise the protection of the freedom of religion or belief of the Baha'i people.

Promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief for all is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. We have previously expressed our deep concern at reports of expropriation and repossession of land owned by Baha'i communities in Ivel. The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted.

On 5 August 2022 the FCDO Minister responsible for Human Rights and Freedom of Religion and Belief, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, said: "The persecution of religious minorities cannot be tolerated in 2022". We strongly condemn the increasing detention of members of the Baha'i community in Iran, as well as reports of forced closures of their businesses and land seizures. The persecution of religious minorities is a serious violation of international human rights law. We are working closely with our international partners to hold Iran to account and continue to raise human rights concerns regularly with the Iranian government.