Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations, together with international partners, over arrests and intimidation of journalists in Iran reporting on alleged schoolgirl poisonings in that country; and whether they have called for the immediate release of the journalist Ali Portabatabaei following his arrest on 5 March.

We are aware of reports of mass poisonings of school girls across Iran since November and continue to monitor developments closely. On 3 March, I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon] called on the Iranian authorities to investigate these incidents urgently and with transparency. I underlined it is essential that all girls can exercise their human right to education without fear.

The UK is a fierce champion of media freedom and proud member of the Media Freedom Coalition. We condemn the Iranian authorities' crackdown on journalists and internet freedom and continue to raise the issue of the Iranian peoples' right to access independent media with the Iranian government, as well as in multilateral fora.