Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of the armed attack on the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rabwah, Pakistan, on 10 October 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the recent attack at Baitul Mahdi Mosque in Rabwah and continue to monitor the situation with concern. Our High Commission in Islamabad regularly raises the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims with the Government of Pakistan at the highest levels, and has raised this incident with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister. I raised my concern over violence against the Ahmadiyya community in a meeting with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister in August. We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to fully investigate incidents of violence, prosecute those responsible and provide justice to victims and their families. On the international stage, the UK continues to highlight freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) violations and abuses through our position at the UN, G7 and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance, ensuring joint international action on FoRB.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to raise recent violence against Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the recent attack at Baitul Mahdi Mosque in Rabwah and continue to monitor the situation with concern. Our High Commission in Islamabad regularly raises the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims with the Government of Pakistan at the highest levels, and has raised this incident with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister. I raised my concern over violence against the Ahmadiyya community in a meeting with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister in August. We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to fully investigate incidents of violence, prosecute those responsible and provide justice to victims and their families. On the international stage, the UK continues to highlight freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) violations and abuses through our position at the UN, G7 and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance, ensuring joint international action on FoRB.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs what recent discussions she has had with international partners on the (a) (i) targeting and (ii) arrests of religious minorities and (b) forced closures of places of worship in Algeria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. On 21 October, I met Foreign Minister Attaf and emphasised the importance of promoting FoRB and interfaith dialogue, and offered the UK's support in that effort. Our Embassy in Algiers also remains in regular contact with religious groups on how best to support FoRB. We continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for freedom of expression for religious minority communities in Algeria.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of (a) attacks on places of worship in Sudan and (b) the attack on a mosque near the Abu Souk camp on 19 September 2025; and what recent steps she has taken with international partners to ensure the protection of (i) places of worship and (ii) religious communities in that country.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Minister of State for International Development and Africa stated on 12 October, we are extremely alarmed by recent developments at El Fasher and have called for "an immediate end to the Rapid Support Forces' siege and a nationwide ceasefire to protect civilians and ensure full unimpeded humanitarian access."
The UK remains committed to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials have met with both authorities in Port Sudan and RSF representatives, urging them to uphold the Jeddah Declaration to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. We have also condemned attacks on places of worship in a UK-led resolution that was passed by majority vote on 6 October this year at the UN Human Rights Council. This resolution renewed the mandate of UN Fact-Finding Mission - the only independent accountability mechanism documenting human rights violations, including FoRB, in Sudan.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report by the UN Human Rights Office entitled Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, published on 12 September 2025; and what diplomatic steps she is taking with her international partners help protect (a) human rights defenders and (b) religious leaders in the country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the September 2025 report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights made clear, there has been no improvement in the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 2014. In response to this report, the UK issued a statement at the UN Human Rights Council. We called on the DPRK to engage meaningfully with the international community, to take credible steps to improve its human rights record and to grant all UN human rights mechanisms access into the country. We have also raised our concerns with the DPRK's Embassy in London. We regularly discuss with key international partners how to address the DPRK's human rights record, including on freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the (a) physical assault and (b) death threats of 20 Christians on 21 September following the implementation of a new anti-conversion law in Rajasthan, India.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Any reports of physical assaults and death threats are concerning. We condemn all forms of violence and intimidation against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, no matter the individual or faith involved. Our High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commissions across India track developments in this space and engage with civil society organisations and religious representatives to promote tolerance and respect between communities. India is one of ten priority countries under the UK's FoRB Strategy, and we continue to monitor developments closely. We urge all governments to uphold the rights enshrined in international human rights law, including the right to practice and propagate one's religion freely and without fear.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkmenistan concerning the targeting of Christian communities including (1) the monitoring of Christian leaders and (2) the harassment of Christian converts; and what steps they are taking to ensure the promotion of religious freedom in the country.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to championing Freedom of Religion or Belief. We highlight this issue at the UN, via the G7 and as a member of the Article 18 Alliance. Our Embassy in Ashgabat has contact with representatives of different faith groups, as well as visiting UK faith representatives, to discuss issues they face in practicing their religion in Turkmenistan. In Turkmenistan's most recent UN Universal Periodic Review in 2023, the UK raised concerns about freedom of association. We continue to seek opportunities to raise concerns at the UN and other international fora, where appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Cuba regarding the recent increase in reports of repression against (1) activists and (2) human rights defenders; and what steps they are taking to support the promotion of freedom of religion and belief in the country.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Our relationship with Cuba allows for frank dialogue, including on matters on which we do not agree. Our Ambassador in Havana has raised recent human rights cases with the Ministry of External Relations, and we work with likeminded partners to make clear our shared position. We will continue to raise concerns where we have them through diplomatic channels, in both London and Havana. In July we launched the UK's international strategy on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), which set out our firm commitment to defending FoRB for all, including through our multilateral and bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on the ongoing detention of (a) Pastor Kim Jung-Wook, (b) Missionary Kim Kook-kie and (c) Missionary Choi Chun-gil in North Korea; and whether she is taking diplomatic steps to ensure their release.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defending the right to freedom of religion or belief is a key strand of our human rights strategy in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the UK regularly raises its concerns about these issues both bilaterally via the embassy in London and in multilateral fora. On 23 September 2025, our Human Rights Ambassador issued a statement at the UN Human Rights Council calling on the DPRK to engage meaningfully with the international community on human rights issues.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Government of Uzbekistan on the (a) treatment of Christians and (b) reports of (i) arbitrary arrests and (ii) forced marriage in that country; and what steps she is taking with international partners to promote religious freedom in that country.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to championing Freedom of Religion or Belief for all. We highlight this issue at the UN, G7 and as a member of the Article 18 Alliance. Our Embassy in Tashkent regularly raises human rights with the authorities and maintains a dialogue with local human rights groups. In Uzbekistan's most recent UN Universal Periodic Review, the UK raised concerns over freedom of religion or belief amongst other human rights issues. We continue to seek opportunities to raise concerns at the UN and other international fora.