Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
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 recent levels of discrimination against the Alevi community in Turkey; and whether he has raised that discrimination with his Turkish counterpart.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK has long encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, particularly in the areas of freedom of expression and of religion or belief, including those of minority communities such as the Alevis. We are aware of concerns voiced by the Alevi community.
We encourage the Turkish authorities to safeguard their welfare and respect their human rights, in line with provisions in the Turkish constitution that protect the rights of religious minorities. We will continue to engage the Turkish Government on these issues and to urge respect for these freedoms which are essential to the long-term health of Turkish democracy. I raised human rights with my Turkish counterpart on 28 June during my visit to Turkey.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Turkish counterpart on the detention of Israfil Erbil.
Answered by Wendy Morton
We have not made representations to the Turkish authorities on behalf of Mr Erbil about his recent detention in Turkey. We understand that he was released the same day after questioning. We support the rights of minority communities in Turkey, including Alevis, and will continue to monitor their situation.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has his Turkish counterpart on (a) the treatment of Alevis in the Turkish prison system and (b) those people's access to Dedes.
Answered by Mark Field
We have not made specific representations to Turkey on these issues. We expect Turkey to treat all prisoners, regardless of faith or ethnicity, fairly and in line with internationally recognised standards.Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to engage with representatives from the Alevi community in Britain.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Ministers in the Department for Communities and Local Government meet members of minority communities on a regular basis. My officials are happy to meet with representatives of the British Alevi community and discuss items that have been raised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Alevis.