Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential threat of human rights violations against the Bahai community in Iran.

The Baha'i community in Iran is systematically discriminated against, harassed, and is targeted by the authorities. Reports indicate that the Iranian government has this year redoubled repressive efforts against the Baha'i community, with expropriation and repossession of land, destruction of homes, and increasing detention of members of the community. As the FCDO Minister responsible for Human Rights and Freedom of Religion and Belief, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, said on 5 August: persecution of religious minorities is a serious human rights violation and cannot be tolerated in 2022. I reiterated our commitment to holding Iran to account at a Westminster Hall debate on 11 October.