To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the re-imprisonment of Fariba Kamalbadi and Mahvash Sabet in Iran; and when they last raised global violations of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the UN Human Rights Council.
Answered on
9 February 2023
The UK unequivocally condemns the persecution of religious minorities in Iran. Members of the Baha'i community are being detained at ever increasing rates by the Iranian authorities. On 20 December 2022, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Fiona Bruce, expressed the UK's condemnation of the sentencing of Baha'i leaders Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi to a further decade of imprisonment. The UK also raised opposition to the intensified persecution of the Baha'i at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee on 26 October 2022. The UK is a longstanding co-sponsor of the resolution on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the Human Rights Council, and regularly raises freedom of religion and belief in interactive dialogues and debates.