§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Syria about the arrest and deportation to Iran of(a) Mr. Ebrahim Khodabandeh and (b) Mr. Jamil Bassam. [134674]
§ Mr. MacShaneJamil Bassam and Ebrahim Khodabandeh are not British nationals, so the UK has no legal right of consular access. After the two men were detained in Syria, our embassy in Damascus repeatedly asked the Syrian authorities for information, but the Syrian authorities did not respond to any of the embassy's four formal notes.
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§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to(a) visit and (b) secure the return to Britain of (i) Mr. Ebrahim Khodabandeh and (ii) Mr. Jamil Bassam, both held in prison in Tehran; and what representations he has made to the Iranian Government about their treatment and rights. [134675]
§ Mr. MacShaneJamil Bassam and Ebrahim Khodabandeh are not British nationals, so the UK has no legal right of consular access. Our Embassy in Tehran has made it clear to the Iranian Government that we are taking a keen interest in the human rights of these two men. On 5 August Iranian authorities told our Embassy that Mr. Bassam and Mr. Khodabandeh were well, that they continued to be held during investigations and that the Iranian judicial authorities had noted our call for due process. We have urged the Iranian Government on a number of occasions to allow a visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross. We are not aware that one has taken place.