Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Iranian counterpart on the human rights of the Bahai community in Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have repeatedly expressed our concern at the harassment faced by Baha’is in Iran and at the sentencing of seven Baha’i leaders to 20 years in prison. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised human rights concerns during his visit to Tehran in August, including lack of freedoms for all citizens. We will continue to urge the Iranian Government to ensure that all Iranian citizens are able to practise their faith freely, as required by international conventions.