HL Deb 25 July 1991 vol 531 cc68-9WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What information they have about the persecution of the Assyrian Christian minority in South-East Turkey; whether they can confirm that the numbers of this community have decreased in Mardin province from 40,000 to 6,000 or less over the last 10 years; and whether they will raise this matter with the Turkish Government and in all appropriate fora for human rights.

Lord Cavendish of Furness

We have no evidence of any systematic persecution of the Assyrian Christian (Syriac) community in Turkey. The right to freedom of religious belief is guaranteed by the Turkish constitution. We understand that there has indeed been a significant fall in the size of the Syriac community in South-East Turkey in recent years, due to emigration. We have no plans to raise the situation of the Syriac community with the Turkish authorities.