Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con) (Urgent Question): To ask the
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Affairs if he will make a statement on the current crisis
in Iran The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Gillian Keegan) We
have all been in awe of the bravery of the Iranian people since the
death of Mahsa Amini over five weeks ago. The Iranian people have
taken to the streets...Request free
trial
(Harrow East) (Con)
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement
on the current crisis in Iran
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Affairs ()
We have all been in awe of the bravery of the Iranian people
since the death of Mahsa Amini over five weeks ago. The Iranian
people have taken to the streets to express in no uncertain terms
that the sustained repression of their rights by the Iranian
regime must end. Women should no longer face detention and
violence for what they wear or how they behave in public. The
Iranian regime’s use of live ammunition and birdshot against
protestors is barbaric. There have been reports of at least 23
children having died and non-governmental organisations suggest
over 200 deaths during the protests.
Mass arrests of protestors and the restriction of internet access
are sadly typical of this oppressive regime’s flagrant disregard
for human rights. These are not the actions of a Government
listening to the legitimate demands of their people for greater
respect for their rights. It can be no surprise that the Iranian
people have had enough. This year, 2022, has seen a sharp
increase in the use of the death penalty, a sustained attack on
the rights of women, intensified persecution of the Baha’i, and
greater repression of freedom of expression and speech
online.
The UK has been robust in joining the international community’s
response to holding Iran accountable for
its human rights violations. The Foreign Secretary summoned the
most senior Iranian official in the UK on Monday 3 October to
express our concern at the treatment of protesters. On Monday 10
October, the UK imposed sanctions on Iran’s so-called morality
police and seven individuals responsible for serious human rights
violations in Iran
The UK has consistently raised the situation in Iran in the United
Nations Human Rights Council and through other multilateral fora.
On 13 October, the UK issued a joint statement with European
partners condemning the death of Mahsa Amini and calling
on Iran to stop the
violence and listen to the concern of its people. On 20 October,
the UK joined 33 other members of the Freedom Online Coalition in
issuing a joint statement condemning internet shutdowns
in Iran
We continue to work with our international partners to explore
all options for addressing Iran’s human rights violations.
Through the UK’s action on sanctions and robust statements with
international partners, we have sent a clear message. The Iranian
authorities will be held accountable for their repression of
women and girls and for the shocking violence that they have
inflicted on the Iranian people.
Thank you for granting this urgent question, Mr Speaker, and I
thank the Minister for her answer. I also thank the Foreign
Secretary for his letter yesterday advising me that I have been
sanctioned by the Iranian regime.
Since the brutal murder of Mahsa Jina Amini by the morality
police, there has been a nationwide uprising in Iran Contrary to what
the Minister advised, the National Council of Resistance
of Iran advised that more
than 400 mainly female protesters have been murdered and that
more than 20,000 have been arrested over the past 39 days of
nationwide protests. Does my hon. Friend agree that we must issue
the strongest condemnation of those killings and mass arrests? In
order to do so, is it not right that we recall our ambassador
from Tehran and even consider closing our embassy
in Iran to demonstrate
that this is unacceptable?
Does the Minister also agree that we need to recognise the
Iranian’s people right to self-defence and resistance in the face
of the deadly crackdown, which particularly targets women and
their right to establish a democratic republic? I note the
sanctions that have been issued by our Government against
particular individuals in Iran but does she not
agree that now would be completely the wrong time to renew the
JCPOA—joint comprehensive plan of action—agreement and
give Iran the capability to
establish nuclear weapons? Does she also agree that it is now
time to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and—I say
this to the Secretary of State—its assets in the UK?
I thank my hon. Friend, and I probably ought to congratulate him
on being sanctioned—that shows all the efforts that he and many
colleagues in the House have made to call out the regime and the
terrible actions that are taking place in Iran
The death of Mahsa Amini is a shocking reminder of the repression
that women in Iran face.
We condemn the Iranian authorities and have taken very strong
action. We condemn the crackdown on protesters, journalists and
internet freedom. The use of violence in response to the
expression of fundamental rights by women, or any other members
of Iranian society, is wholly unjustifiable. We will continue to
work, including with our international partners, to explore all
options for addressing Iran’s human rights violations. However,
as my hon. Friend knows, we will never be able to comment on
possible future actions, sanctions or designations.
(Enfield, Southgate)
(Lab)
For the past six weeks, Iran has seen huge
protests following the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of its
brutal morality police. Ms Amini was violently beaten following
her arrest for breaching strict hijab rules.
Iranians in huge numbers have bravely said that they will accept
this no longer. Women and girls are putting their lives on the
line to lead a mass movement calling for nothing more than basic
human rights and civil liberties. Braving severe state
repression, hundreds of thousands of Iranians have joined
protests. Over 12,500 have been arrested and, sadly, over 250
people have died at the hands of the security forces. Britain
must support all those who stand up for basic freedoms, including
freedom of conscience and religion and the freedom to live one’s
life as one chooses.
It is clear that the Iranian regime is restricting information in
an attempt to quash the protests. Internet access has been
periodically blocked in the country, meaning that details of
human rights abuses cannot be shared and protesters cannot
organise. Freedom of information is integral to the success of
any political movement. The UK must and can play a strong role in
supporting an independent press in Iran
Reporters Without Borders has declared Iran one
of the worst countries in the world for press freedom:
journalists routinely face harassment, detention and threats to
their family. What are the UK Government doing to encourage press
freedom in Iran What pressure is
the UK putting on Iran to support
fundamental human rights and freedom of speech?
The UK can and should lead calls for the UN Human Rights Council
to urgently establish an international investigative and
accountability mechanism to collect, consolidate, preserve and
analyse evidence of the most serious crimes in Iran under
international law. Can the Minister assure me that the UK will do
so?
There is much that we all agree on in this House, from our
condemnation of what is happening in Iran to
the actions we take and how we work with others. We are looking
at all options to hold Iran to account for its
human rights violations, and we are active participants at the UN
Human Rights Council. On press freedom, last week we joined a
statement of the Media Freedom Coalition condemning Iran’s
repression of journalists. We will continue to do so, working
with other countries and other groups to call out Iran as well as taking
firm steps, as I laid out in my statement.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs.
(Rutland and Melton)
(Con)
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East () on securing this important UQ. What we are seeing
in Iran is state
industrialised femicide. We are also seeing Iran being increasingly
aggressive abroad in support of terrorist states and terrorist
organisations. Will we finally act to sanction the IRGC, which is
sending surface-to-surface missiles to Russia, supporting proxies
across the region and spreading harmful radicalising narratives
online? Will the Minister also broaden our classification of
terrorist content beyond Salafi-Takfiri extremist ideology to
include Shi’a Islamist extremist materials? That is the only way
in which we will protect our communities at home from their
reach.
Yes. We have an assessment, which we have shared with my hon.
Friend, of Iran and its support
for regimes including Russia. We will continue to work with
others to call out what is happening, and of course we condemn
its support of anything to do with Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson.
(Stirling) (SNP)
I am glad that you granted this urgent question today, Mr
Speaker. I commend the hon. Member for Harrow East () for securing it and the Minister for her answer.
The SNP and all of us stand in solidarity with the brave
protesters in Iran in their actions
against a brutal regime. I grew up in Saudi Arabia; I struggle to
sound rational about any morality police anywhere. I am familiar
with these men, I am familiar with what they do, and I stand
shoulder to shoulder with the UK Government in their efforts to
hold them to account.
The protests were triggered by the femicide—to our mind—of Mahsa
Amini. There is a clear gender aspect, as I think we can all
agree. Writing in The Sunday Times, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe,
who has a greater familiarity than anyone with the Iranian
regime’s brutality, put it best:
“Mahsa’s death is the latest blow to the people of a country long
abused… Women in Iran are desperate.
They are furious and restless. They cannot take it anymore.”
I commend the Minister for her statement, but what more can the
UK Government do to ensure accountability for the perpetrators of
femicide? Do His Majesty’s Government view the murder of Ms Amini
as femicide? Further to the point that the hon. Member for Harrow
East made about closing the UK mission, may I take another view
and say that closing the mission would shut down dialogue when
actually we need to continue those efforts in-country?
Yes, we need to continue efforts and dialogue in-country. That
also holds for continued discussion on the nuclear deal, which
has been mentioned. We will always continue to work with our
like-minded partners to ensure that Iran is
held to account, including via the UN Human Rights Council in
Geneva and the UN General Assembly in New York. At its 51st
session, our permanent representative to the UNHRC in Geneva,
Ambassador , raised the death of Mahsa
Amini and called on Iran
“to carry out independent, transparent investigations into her
death and the excessive violence used against subsequent
protests.”
We have joined 52 other countries in issuing a joint statement to
the Human Rights Council, urging restraint and accountability in
Iranian law enforcement. The European Union, Canada and the
United States have also sanctioned the morality police and
certain individuals, and we will continue to work with those
like-minded countries, but we cannot of course comment on any
future designations or sanctions.
(West Worcestershire)
(Con)
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East () on securing the urgent question and on his being
sanctioned, and I send a loud and clear message from this
Parliament that we stand with the women and girls
of Iran as they fight for
their civil rights. However, it is not just in their own country
that the Iranian regime is causing repression and havoc; it is
also selling drones which are being used to attack civilians in
Ukraine. Given that sanctions on Russia are working and its
missiles are running out, may I urge the Minister, with the
greatest urgency, to look very closely at how we can sanction
those who are arming others who would do the Ukrainians harm?
I can assure my hon. Friend that we will continue to look at any
possible measures that we can take. I think she understands that
I cannot comment on any of them, but we are aware of these
actions, and we are aware of Iran’s support for the Russian
forces.
(Birmingham, Selly Oak)
(Lab)
I congratulate the hon. Member for Harrow East () on securing the urgent question. I am delighted to
join him in that select group whose members have obviously upset
the regime by telling the truth about it.
I welcome the recent sanctions decisions, but I wonder whether
there are any plans to extend them to other human rights abusers.
Might the Minister consider the former technology Minister
Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi and the IRGC commander Salar
Abnoush, two people who would certainly merit being put on the
sanctions list?
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on also being sanctioned. That
is, of course, because of the work that he and other Members are
doing in calling out these actions, and calling for more action
from the UK Government as well; but I think he understands that
we cannot comment on some possible future actions, or on
individuals.
(Preseli Pembrokeshire)
(Con)
Murder and brutal repression internally, sponsorship of terrorism
overseas, selling deadly drones that target civilians to the
invading Russian army—the list of the crimes of the Iranian
regime is very long indeed, and when we look at all these
activities, it is the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps that comes up time and again. I do not expect the Minister
to comment on specific sanctions measures, but will she at least
pledge to the House that she will convey to the Foreign Secretary
and her colleagues in the Foreign Office the message that it is
the strong view of the House that the IRGC should be proscribed
in full as a terrorist organisation?
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on being another of the seven
individuals who have been sanctioned, and I thank him for raising
these concerns again and again. We have made clear our own
concerns about the IRGC’s continuing destabilising activity
throughout the region, and the UK maintains a range of sanctions
that work to constrain that activity. The list of proscribed
organisations is kept under constant review. I will take back
that message, but, as I know my right hon. Friend is aware, we do
not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not
under consideration for proscription.
(Oxford West and Abingdon)
(LD)
These brave women are inspirational, and how lucky we would be if
they were able to get out of Iran and came
here to obtain sanctuary. Is there any chance of a lifeboat
scheme for them, should they be able to get out?
May I also ask about something very practical? The Minister will
recall that earlier in the Ukraine-Russia conflict the BBC was
given extra money to ensure that the World Service could
broadcast in Ukrainian and also in Russian. Is there any chance
that that could also apply to BBC Persian, which currently faces
the chop?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question and I join her in
commending the bravery of the women in Iran It
is very easy for us to sit here, but what they are doing every
day takes incredible courage and they really are showing huge
strength. On BBC Persia, the BBC is operationally and editorially
independent but we do provide funding, and the FCDO is providing
the BBC with more than £94 million over the next three years to
support the World Service. On any future actions we may do,
obviously we keep everything under constant review but we do not
have anything yet to announce in this area.
(South West Wiltshire)
(Con)
Sanctions glisten but they also cast a shadow. I am deeply
envious of hon. and right hon. colleagues who have been
sanctioned and I can only hope that mine is in the post. Can the
Minister assure us that there can be no possibility of progress
on the JCPOA while Tehran continues to export weapons of terror,
particularly drone technology, to Russia to aid Putin’s war in
Ukraine? Can she also assure me that, when the ambassador was
called into the Foreign Office, that was made crystal clear to
him?
I am sure that my right hon. Friend’s letter could be in the post
if he continues to raise his concerns so robustly. Iran’s nuclear
programme has never been more advanced than it is today, and
Iran’s escalation of its nuclear activities is threatening
international peace and security and undermining the global
non-proliferation system. If a deal is not struck, the JCPOA will
collapse. In this scenario, we will carefully consider all
options in partnership with our allies, but the JCPOA, while not
perfect, does represent a pathway for constraining Iran’s nuclear
programme.
(Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
Like the right hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr
Murrison), I am a bit upset that I have not been sanctioned yet.
I obviously need to try harder, so here goes. We are talking
about a bunch of women-hating homicidal maniacs and clerical
fascists. On that basis, surely it is now time to ban the IRGC.
Some of us have been calling for it to be banned for some time;
my right hon. Friend the Member for Warley () and I called for it on one of
the last sitting days in July. Now that the Government have had
time to think about it, can they not just get on and ban it?
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his attempt to join his
colleagues, and I am sure he will continue with that. As I said
earlier, we have been clear on our concerns about the IRGC’s
continuing destabilising activity, but we do not routinely
comment on whether an organisation is under consideration for
proscription. We will obviously maintain a range of sanctions
that work to constrain the actions and some of the activities of
the IRGC.
(Chingford and Woodford
Green) (Con)
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East () on securing this urgent question and I thank you
for granting it, Mr Speaker. I say to my hon. Friend the Minister
that Iran is now quite
clearly a pariah state, which means that all our policy towards
it must be directed on the basis that we cannot deal with it in
the same way as any other state. It supplies Russia with weapons,
it is now linked to China, it is developing nuclear weapons and
the brutality that we have seen meted out to those who are
peacefully protesting—as their human rights would allow them to
do here—is appalling. Can I urge my hon. Friend, in response, no
longer to continue with the JCPOA, because it is
giving Iran succour while it
is still developing nuclear weapons? Also, importantly, will the
Government now proscribe the IRGC once and for all, to tell it
that its behaviour will no longer be tolerated and that there are
more sanctions to come?
We have always been clear that Iran’s nuclear escalation is
unacceptable. It is threatening international peace and security
and undermining the global non-proliferation scheme. As I said
earlier to my right hon. Friend the Member for South West
Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), while the JCPOA is not perfect, it does
represent a pathway for constraining Iran’s nuclear programme. A
restored deal could pave the way for further discussions on
regional and security concerns, including in support of the
non-proliferation regime. As I mentioned earlier in relation to
the IRGC, we cannot comment on future sanctions, but we keep this
constantly under review.
(Halifax) (Lab)
Of course we welcome the fact that the Government have sanctioned
key senior officers of Iran’s brutal morality police and the
revolutionary guard, as well as those involved in the supply of
drones to Russia, but the sanctions are primarily focused on
those based inside Iran What are
Ministers doing to ensure that those with links to the Iranian
regime who have visas allowing them to be based here in the UK
understand our strength of feeling about the Iranian regime’s
unacceptable conduct towards its people, and towards women and
girls in particular?
Even having these debates—this is the second one on this subject
in the few weeks I have been in this job—is helpful, and we will
continue to raise the pressure, to work with allies and to raise
concerns via our participation on the Human Rights Council. We
will constantly keep things under review.
(Romsey and Southampton
North) (Con)
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East on
securing this important urgent question. There is a large Iranian
diaspora in Southampton, and the women and girls who have been to
see me have been clear that we must call out the murder of Mahsa
Amini as femicide. It is the women and girls of Iran who are bearing
the brunt of the repression. I would like to echo the comments
about the BBC. Knowledge and information are power, and too
little is coming out of and going into Iran to
support those brave individuals. Will the Minister please go and
talk to colleagues at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media
and Sport to ensure that there is sufficient funding for the
World Service so that the important work of BBC Persia can
continue?
I completely agree with my right hon. Friend about the bravery of
the women in Iran which I am sure
those in the diaspora in her area are proud of. We will continue
to work closely with our like-minded partners to ensure
that Iran is held to account
for the death of Mahsa Amini, including via the Human Rights
Council in Geneva. As I mentioned earlier, the FCDO has put £94
million over the next three years towards supporting the BBC
World Service, which is a vital lifeline for people both
inside Iran and at home
here.
(East Antrim) (DUP)
I, too, congratulate the hon. Member for Harrow East on securing
this urgent question. I know from the discussions I have had with
the various opposition groups that lobby us here in Parliament
that the profile that these questions give to the issues that
concern them is important and heartening. I say to the Minister
that it is clear that the Iranian regime not only tortures and
abuses its own citizens but is now an exporter of terrorism
across the world. I do not expect her to comment on what she is
going to do in relation to proscription and sanctions against the
likes of the IGRC, but what I think this House wants, rather than
a statement about what she is going to do, is for her to just do
it. We do not need her to tell us, and we do not need information
about it—just do it!
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his instruction, gently
delivered as always. Of course we keep everything under review,
but as he has identified, it would not be appropriate to discuss
any future actions at this Dispatch Box right now.
(Beckenham) (Con)
Could I ask the Minister to reassure the House that London will
not become a place of safe refuge for the Iranian regime’s
proponents? Can she assure me, for instance, that money
from Iran that is funding
pro-Iranian platforms in this country is closely looked at? There
is also a substantial rumour that the families of the leaders
in Iran are getting
British passports, which is iniquitous.
I can assure my right hon. Friend that I will look into the
questions that he has raised. Obviously we have our own rule of
law here in the UK. I have not heard the rumours about passports,
but I will certainly look into that and write to him.
(Brent North) (Lab)
Why is it still possible to purchase a cheap tourist flight from
London to Iran for £158?
(Strangford) (DUP)
Because nobody wants to go there!
If the Government’s sanctions are strong enough, surely we should
be stopping travel to and from that country.
As the hon. Member for Strangford () points out, the price shows the popularity of the
destination.
(Dudley South) (Con)
The brutal regime in Iran is being financed
by up to $100 billion a year of sanctions relief, despite
delivering almost no concrete action on nuclear
non-proliferation. Will my hon. Friend press our international
partners to ensure that such sanctions relief is tied to Iran’s
delivering on its international obligations?
A viable deal was put on the table in March, which would have
returned Iran to full compliance
with its JCPOA commitments and returned the US to the
deal. Iran has refused to
seize a critical diplomatic opportunity to conclude that deal,
with continued demands beyond the scope of the JCPOA. We are
considering the next steps with our international partners but,
as I am sure my hon. Friend is aware, we cannot comment on them
at this point.
(Bury South) (Lab)
I put on record my support and admiration for those girls and
women who are not only protesting, but putting their lives at
risk on a daily basis. The violent crackdowns against civilians
by the regime in recent days are a reminder of the Islamic
Republic of Iran’s attitude towards dissent at home and abroad.
Crackdowns against dissent are led by the regime’s ideological
terror army, the IRGC. In light of the horrific state violence,
both in recent days and in 2019, we have had multiple instances
in this Chamber of both sides and all parties calling for the
IRGC to be proscribed. When is it going to happen?
I am afraid I must refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier answer:
we keep things under review, but we cannot comment on any future
actions.
(Buckingham) (Con)
I have listened carefully to my hon. Friend’s answers, but,
considering that the IRGC finances and directs terror proxies
across the whole middle east, including its Lebanon-based proxy
Hezbollah, which has stockpiled more than 150,000 missiles on the
Israel-Lebanon border, can she explain why we proscribe Hezbollah
as a terrorist group, but not its financier and director the
IRGC?
There is obviously great strength of feeling on this subject,
which, as I have said, I will take back to the Foreign Secretary.
The list of proscribed organisations is kept under constant
review, but we do not routinely comment on why or whether an
organisation is under consideration for proscription, or the
thought process behind those that are proscribed.
(Caerphilly) (Lab)
I strongly support the sanctions the Government are
imposing—indeed, I would like to see them go further—but will the
Minister give a commitment that those sanctions will not have a
negative impact on ordinary Iranian people?
That is an important question; when we consider sanctions we
always consider not only what can work, but the impact it will
have on people. Our sanctions impose restrictions on the morality
police as a whole and senior security and political figures
in Iran and will ensure
that the individuals designated cannot travel to the UK and that
any of their assets held in the UK will be frozen.
(Southend West) (Con)
The courage and bravery of those young women in standing up to
the brutal and authoritarian regime in Iran is
frankly incredible. They are superheroes and they deserve our
full support and admiration. I am proud of what this country is
doing to stand up for human rights in Ukraine, and we should be
doing the same for those young women in Iran I
welcome the increased sanctions put in place last week on Iranian
individuals and businesses responsible for supplying Russia with
kamikaze drones used to bombard Ukraine. However, does my hon.
Friend agree that as well as condemning the Iranian regime on
human rights, we should also condemn its place on the United
Nations Commission on the Status of Women? There can be no excuse
for a regime that treats women with such contempt to sit on a
commission that should be working to promote global gender
equality and empowerment of women wherever they live.
Mr Speaker
Order. May I just remind hon. Members that these are meant to be
questions, not speeches? It is an important point, but I need to
get everybody in.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I congratulate my hon. Friend, because
there will be people watching this urgent question and hearing
what we are saying, whether among the diaspora or
in Iran and I am sure it
gives them a great deal of strength and courage to know the
strength of feeling in this place. The protests also send a clear
message that the Iranian people are not satisfied with the path
their Government have taken, and we urge Iran to
listen to its own people, to respect the right to peaceful
assembly, to lift all restrictions, to stop unfairly detaining
protesters and, most importantly, to ensure that women can play
an equal role in society.
(Brentford and Isleworth)
(Lab)
In the Minister’s response to my hon. Friend the Member for
Caerphilly (), she talked about sanctions
against the elites, who often do not suffer the impact of
broad-brush sanctions. What discussions has the Minister had with
her counterparts in the Department for Education about removing
study visas from the families of regime members, living here far
from the restrictions in Iran and particularly
those imposed on women?
I want to make clear that in addition to the sanctions recently
imposed on 10 October, there are almost 300 sanctions on various
activities, people and organisations within Iran
We continue to keep those under review, but I cannot comment on
any potential future actions that may be taken.
(Newport West) (Lab)
In recent months, the Iranian Government have systematically
inflicted untold cruelties on the people of the Baha’i faith as
the world looks on. As Baha’is across the world mark the twin
holy days—I send them my best wishes—can the Minister tell me
what precise steps the Government are taking to support and
protect this important and targeted community?
That question is very important and was the subject of a
Westminster Hall debate not long ago. We condemn any actions that
restrict freedom of religious belief.
(Liverpool, Riverside)
(Lab)
I send my solidarity and support to the women and girls
of Iran fighting for their
human rights. Does the Minister agree that, in the light of
recent events and the attacks on human rights, the BBC’s decision
to close down its Persian radio service is deeply unfortunate
when so many rely on it as a lifeline? Will she undertake to
speak to the BBC director-general to ask whether the closure can
be reviewed and reversed?
BBC Persian is a legitimate journalistic operation, which is
still operating and is editorially independent of the UK
Government. However, I am shortly meeting with representatives
from BBC World Service and I will discuss the matter further with
them.
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
Security forces are demanding that teachers in Iran hand over the
names of troublemakers, threatening arrest if they refuse. One
teacher in Tehran has reportedly died trying to protect students.
What support are the UK and our allies providing to protect
teachers specifically from those terrifying abuses of their human
rights?
I thank the hon. Lady for bringing to light the plight of
teachers. Many protesters are bravely protesting, knowing that
they are putting themselves in danger. That is why I welcome the
opportunity to put on record our condemnation of all the actions
the Iranian regime is taking.
I thank the Minister for her strong stance and her answers. It is
encouraging to have time dedicated to this important situation,
which is escalating at pace in Iran but it is
regrettable that many other groups face oppression from the
Iranian state, and we must not forget them amid the ongoing
crisis. Can she assure me and this House of her support for other
religious and belief groups in Iran
particularly the Baha’i and Christians, who have long suffered at
the hands of the Iranian regime and, with thousands of others,
have had their freedom of religion and belief violated?
I believe the hon. Gentleman also took part in the Westminster
Hall debate, as many of us did. I met a number of people after
that debate who were delighted that hon. Members kept pushing
their case, but urged us to keep the debate alive and active and
to call out wrongdoing wherever we see it.
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