§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge Iran to grant free and equal rights to all citizens. [87132]
§ Mr. HoonWe and our EU partners regularly raise our concerns with the Iranian authorities over the plight of minorities in Iran, in particular the Baha'i community. We 227W will continue to press the Iranians for improvements. Our position was again made clear in the EU sponsored UN Commission on Human Rights resolution on Iran adopted in April.
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of anti-semitism in Iran. [87129]
§ Mr. HoonJudaism, along with Christianity and Zoroastrianism are recognised religions under the Iranian constitution. The Jewish community are represented in the Iranian Parliament (Majles) by a Jewish MP who represents the community as a whole rather than a constituency and whose seat is reserved by the constitution. The Iranian authorities have frequently stated that they recognise Judaism but not Zionism, a position also adopted by the Iranian Jewish community. The Jewish community in Iran has shrunk to approximately 27,000 from around 100,000 since the revolution in 1979. Those remaining do so through choice and have experienced occasional problems mainly related to the clash of cultures between Judaism and Islam (Jewish shopkeepers wishing to open on the Islamic weekend and other similar incidents). We welcome President Khatami's statement following the recent arrests of members of the Jewish communities that he is responsible for individuals of very religious persuasion in Iran.
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge the Government of Iran to state the conditions under which the group of thirteen Jews from Shiraz who have been arrested are being held. [87130]
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he proposes to take concerning the arrest and proposed trial of 13 members of the Jewish community in Iran; and if he will make a statement. [87159]
§ Mr. HoonWe and our EU partners are concerned at reports of the arrest of 13 Iranian Jews. The German EU Presidency on a visit to Tehran on 20 May expressed the concern of EU member states at these detentions. This was before news broke of the detainees being charged with espionage on 7 June. This will be followed up with an EU demarche to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We have also told the Iranians of our concern228W bilaterally, both in London and Tehran, and have pressed for the detainees to be treated fairly under Iranian law, as have many of our EU partners. We will continue to watch developments closely and will take further action as necessary.
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what instructions he has given to the British Ambassador in Teheran concerning the situation of members of the Baha'i community in Iran. [87128]
§ Mr. HoonWe and our EU partners regularly raise with the Iranian authorities our concerns over the plight of the Baha'i community in Iran. I most recently raise the issue with the Iranian Ambassador on 24 May. Last October our then Charge (now Ambassador), with partners in the EU Troika, spoke to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs about two Baha'is under sentence of death. So far that action appears to have been effective in preventing those executions. He and his EU colleagues regularly report on human rights issues including the Baha'is. I discussed these issues with Barnabas Leith, the Secretary General of the Baha'i Community of the United Kingdom, when we met on 14 June.