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 potential merits of imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions on people responsible for religious persecution in (a) Iran, (b) Eritrea and (c) Pakistan.

The UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime can be used to impose sanctions for serious human rights violations or abuses, including; i) an individual's right to life; ii) right not to be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; and iii) right to be free from slavery, not to be held in servitude or required to perform forced or compulsory labour. Sanctions complement other tools as part of a wider strategy. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future designations as to do so could reduce their impact.