§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the death sentences passed on three Iranian Baha'is and a sentence of 10 years prison imposed on a fourth in the city of Mashad and the impact this will have on the Anglo-Iranian dialogue on human rights. [117221]
§ Mr. HainWe remain concerned at reports of the death sentences passed on Mr. Najafabadi, Mr. Moghaddam and Mr. Khulusi in Mashad on 3 February. The picture has been somewhat confused by the recent statement by Mr. Sadeqi, spokesman for the Iranian Judiciary, that no such sentences had been passed. The Portuguese Presidency, on behalf of EU partners, presented a268W demarche to the Iranian authorities expressing our concern and seeking clarification as to the current status of these three gentlemen on 17 February. This was followed up with a further demarche in Tehran on 19 February. We took similar bilateral action with the Iranian Ambassador on 21 February. I raised this issue with Deputy Foreign Minister Sarmadi on 6 March.
Iran is aware of our serious concern about the Baha'is. Persecution of individuals on religious grounds is totally unacceptable.
§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the Government will give to the resolution condemning Iran at the Commission on Human Rights in relation to the death sentences passed on three members of the Baha'i community in Iran on 3 February. [117220]
§ Mr. HainWe, in conjunction with our EU partners, have drafted and will table the resolution to which the hon. Gentleman refers. We hope that the resolution will accurately reflect the human rights situation in Iran, both the improvements and the outstanding concerns such as the plight of the Baha'i community, as did the EU-sponsored resolution on human rights in Iran adopted at the United Nations General Assembly on 17 December.