Asked by
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage
To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to
support women in Iran fighting for basic human rights; and what
representations they have made to the government of that country
in relation to mass arrests of those demonstrating for such
rights.
The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office () (Con)
My Lords, the bravery shown by the women of Iran is nothing short
of remarkable. This Government stand with them as they demand a
better future. We have already worked with partners to remove
Iran from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women on
14 December. We have helped to secure a Human Rights Council
resolution to investigate the crackdown on protestors on 24
November, and we have announced three rounds of sanctions since
October on individuals involved in the arrest, detention and
sentencing of protestors, most recently on 9 December. Our
position is absolutely clear: we will continue to hold the
Iranian Government to account for their continued repression of
women and girls and for the shocking violence that they have
inflicted on their own citizens and people.
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for his Answer. Since the
tragic death of Mahsa Amini, atrocities in Iran continue, as we
all know. I agree with the Minister that the courage of our
Iranian sisters continues to call us to action. On Monday, Female
Voice of Iran visited us in Parliament to lobby for further
sanctions against Iran, for the proscription of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organisation, and for the
UK to join France, Germany and Canada in supporting the Iranian
freedom movement. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to
which Iran is a signatory, states that all human beings—not just
men—
“are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.
It guarantees freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. What
are the UK Government going to do further to ensure that Iran
upholds these rights in current protests?
(Con)
My Lords, I welcome both the noble Baroness’s question and her
engagement directly with the FCDO. I look forward to further
engagement on this and other issues. I assure her that we
continue to—I cannot speculate on future sanctions but, as I
indicated earlier, there have been three tranches from October to
December. We are also working with our key international
partners. It is of course important that, ultimately, the future
destiny of Iran is decided by its own citizens and people. What
is very clear, with every passing day—every passing hour—is that
the legitimacy of the current Government is being lost. They are
suppressing their own citizens; that has to stop—and stop now.
(CB)
My Lords, the jailing this week in the notorious Evin prison of
the courageous Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti underlined the
insatiable appetite of the theocratic regime for imprisonment,
gender-based violence, torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary
arrest and execution. Does not this amount to crimes against
humanity? At this critical time, what can the noble Lord tell us
about the continuation of the BBC Persian radio service following
warnings this week from Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, about the
targeting of individuals in the United Kingdom who have
criticised the state or supported the protests? Will he ensure
the protection of pro-democracy Iranians in the United Kingdom
and that it is given new urgency?
(Con)
My Lords, the noble Lord raises a number of important points. Of
course, on the key point of the safety and security of people who
are in the United Kingdom, including institutions and
organisations, the Government are working directly with our own
security and police to ensure that safety and security are
guaranteed. If there are specific issues that are raised directly
with the noble Lord on ensuring the safety and security of an
individual or organisation, I would urge him to raise it with me
directly.
(Con)
My Lords, what specific engagement have we had with British
Iranians who, despite the lockdown on social media and
communications, have direct links with family and friends in Iran
and are therefore receiving updates in a way that perhaps even
the Government are not? Will my noble friend consider discussing
with his colleagues from the Home Office the potential for a
legal route to asylum for those suffering the most extreme
violence and persecution, especially those for whom people in the
United Kingdom would be prepared to open up their homes?
(Con)
My Lords, my noble friend raises two very important points. Of
course, we are looking to engage directly with communities and
representatives here who represent Iranian interests, including
NGOs. Again, as I said to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, I would
welcome any recommendations on specifics that my noble friend has
from her own insight and experience. Our focus at the FCDO has
been on international action. I was myself at the UN—I returned
on Friday—specifically in relation to the work that we were doing
on the CSW. It was very clear there that there was no support for
Iran from the majority of countries; there were abstentions and
only a handful of countries voted to keep Iran on. On the second
point, we have always been a country that has provided safe
refuge and sanctuary for those fleeing persecution. Again, safe
routes and safe passages for such sanctuary is clearly the
Government’s intent.
(Lab)
My Lords, I very much welcome the Government’s efforts at the
United Nations, particularly at ECOSOC and its Commission on the
Status of Women. I know that we are working with allies and
amplifying the voices of international communities, but one thing
that I have raised with the Minister before is the important
question of how we are supporting those voices of civil
society—particularly faith groups—who can condemn this action, so
that it is not just simply seen as a western response but a
community response to defend women’s rights?
(Con)
I totally agree with the noble Lord and I assure him that we are
talking directly both with individuals and with organisations.
Indeed, I have asked to meet with senior leaders of different
faith groups here, particularly those who have representation in
Iran. It is important that the Iranian Government understand very
clearly that none of the approaches that they have adopted
currently—whether on the JCPOA, their support for drones in
Ukraine or the continued suppression of their own citizens—opens
up any avenue for effective and constructive discussion. I
continue to engage with different groups and I think that faith
groups, particularly those which look towards or operate in Iran,
have an important role to play.
(LD)
My Lords, I support strongly the Minister’s diplomatic work at
the UN that he has just referred to. However, there have been
concerns about the ending of programmes that support women in the
political, civic and human rights space. That concern was
tempered in February when the noble Lord, , replied to me, saying that
“the Foreign Secretary has been clear that we are restoring
funding to women and girls.”—[Official Report, 28/2/22; col.
541.]
In November, the Minister was unable to confirm to me that that
was the case. Through no fault of his own, the noble Viscount,
Lord Younger, was not able to clarify that point in our debate on
development last week. Can the Minister be very clear: is that
promise—made to me in this Chamber—that funding for women and
girls is being restored being upheld or will the noble Lord,
, have to come back to this
Chamber to correct the record?
(Con)
My Lords, the Government have been clear on this. There are some
final discussions to take place—which is why my noble friend Lord
Younger, or indeed I, was not clear on that—but, once these
figures are finalised, we will of course share them with your
Lordships’ House. On the point about my noble friend , he was very clear about the
importance that we attach to girls’ education, women’s rights and
humanitarian support; at a time of great challenge to the ODA
budget, they will remain key priorities for His Majesty’s
Government.
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, this is a brutal and corrupt dictatorship that
terrorises its people, slaughters protesters, enslaves women,
hangs gay men from cranes, sponsors terrorism around the region
and here in Europe and is developing nuclear weapons to attack
Israel. Can the Minister tell us why the Government have not
already proscribed the IRGC? I urge the Minister and the
Government to impose much tougher sanctions on the dictatorship’s
leadership, so that we can bring this brutal regime to its knees
and free the poor people of Iran.
(Con)
My Lords, I totally agree with the noble Lord’s opening remarks.
It is for all those reasons that we have taken a very tough
stance on sanctions, including on individuals and the
organisation of the IRGC since 2019. The noble Lord knows that
the issue of proscription is something that I cannot speculate
on, but I can assure him that both I and my noble friend on the
Front Bench for the Home Office—both departments—are very seized
and aware of the strong sentiments that both Houses,
parliamentarians and indeed the public hold on this issue.
(CB)
My Lords, we all applaud the brave women and men fighting for the
rights of women in Iran against an autocratic regime that sees
women as lesser beings with, as a former Ayatollah put it, only
half the brain size of a man. While the expulsion of Iran from a
UN committee on women is welcome, does the Minister agree that a
more powerful condemnation would come from Muslim leaders stating
that the behaviour of the Iranian regime is rooted in perverse
and dated culture and has nothing to do with the ethical
teachings of Islam?
(Con)
My Lords, I agree with the noble Lord. While I am not a Muslim
leader, I am a Minister who happens to be Muslim and I totally
and utterly condemn the suppression of women, not just in Iran
but anywhere in the world. Women have a pivotal role to play in
any society in any country. The evidence is there: where women
play a central and pivotal role, societies prosper and countries
continue to progress. Iran needs to change its direction now, not
just because of what it is doing to its citizens but because its
own religion that it claims to follow tells it to do just that.
