Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Iran’s Baha'i minority are being prevented from obtaining identity cards under new rules, thereby depriving them of basic civil rights.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports that Iran's Baha'i community are being prevented from obtaining identity cards under new rules, depriving them of accessing many basic services. We remain concerned about the continued harassment and mistreatment that the Baha'i and other minority religious groups face. We support the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'is in Iran is sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief to all Iranians.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on trends in the level of Tazir laws in Iran in relation to the (a) arbitrary punishment, (b) imprisonment and (c) internal exile of members of the Baha’i community in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are aware of reports about the continued harassment and mistreatment that the Baha'i and other minority groups face. We support the assessment of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights that discrimination against the Baha'is in Iran is sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on (a) reports that the Public Places Supervision Office is seeking to close Baha’i-owned businesses in Iran and (b) the targeting of other minority communities in that country.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are aware of reports indicating that Baha'i owned businesses are being targeted for closure, including reports of the attempted closure of a care centre in Karaj, Iran. We remain concerned about the continued harassment and mistreatment that the Baha'i and other minority groups face.
We support the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'is in Iran is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on reports of the closure of a Baha’i-run elder care centre in Karaj, Iran.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are aware of reports indicating that Baha'i owned businesses are being targeted for closure, including reports of the attempted closure of a care centre in Karaj, Iran. We remain concerned about the continued harassment and mistreatment that the Baha'i and other minority groups face.
We support the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'is in Iran is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the use of Tazir laws to facilitate punishment against members of the Baha’i community in Iran; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We remain aware of the continued reports of harassment and mistreatment of members of the Baha'i faith in Iran, including the increase in arrests in 2018. The British Government supports the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'i community in Iran is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the UN's Special Rapporteur on the human rights of the Baha'i in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are particularly concerned by the continuing systematic discrimination, harassment and targeting of the Baha'i community in Iran. At the Human Rights Council in March 2019, the UK strongly supported the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran and supports the UN Special Rapporteur's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'i community in Iran is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. We have called on Iran to allow him access to the country so that he can carry out his mandate, and we encourage Iran to use this opportunity to engage with the international community.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the authorities in Iran on upholding the human rights of (a) Christians and (b) other religious and ethnic minorities in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Iran's human rights record continues to be of serious concern to the UK, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has designated it as one of its Human Rights Priority Countries. The continued restrictions on freedoms of expression, religion and belief are deeply worrying, as is the discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities. While some religious minorities are formally protected in the constitution, the reality is that many non-Muslims face discrimination. Despite constitutional recognition, the persecution of Christians has been continuous, systemic, and institutionalised, and we are particularly concerned by the continuing systematic discrimination, harassment and targeting of members of the Baha'i faith. We regularly raise the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities in Iran with the Iranian Government, and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the jailing of (a) Farajollah Bangaleh and (b) Mitra Badrnejad for practicing their Ba’hai faith; and whether he raised the Iranian authority's treatment of the Ba’hai people on his recent trip to Tehran.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are particularly concerned by the continuing systematic discrimination, harassment and targeting of the Baha’i community. The British government supports the UN Special Rapporteur’s assessment that discrimination against the Baha’i community in Iran is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. Though we have not raised specifically the cases of Farajollah Bangaleh and Mitra Badrnejad, we have repeatedly expressed concern at the ongoing incarceration, and the shocking sentencing of Baha'i leaders and the wider community in Iran with the Iranian authorities.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Iranian Government on the alleged persecution of the Baha'i community.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We most recently called upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities, including the Baha’is, at the UN interactive dialogue on human rights on 24 October, and at the UN General Assembly Third Committee on 15 November. We continue to urge Iran to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief, and to allow the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran access to the country to conduct research and investigations into concerns reported there.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Iran on the treatment of Baha'is in that country; and if will he make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities, including members of the Baha'i faith, and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief. I discussed human rights, including freedom of religion, when I met my Iranian counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in Tehran in September.