Written question asked by Peter Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party) on Wednesday, 3 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 March 2010. It was answered by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Monday, 8 March 2010 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iran: Human Rights

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the number of opposition figures (a) imprisoned and (b) executed in Iran since the most recent presidential election.

Answer: While there are no official figures available on the numbers of opposition figures imprisoned since the June 2009 election, international estimates broadly agree that around 3,000 individuals have been arrested. Many have subsequently been released; however others remain in detention or have stood trial. We are concerned that the whereabouts of many more remains unknown.We cannot confirm that any opposition figures have been executed for involvement in the post-election unrest, however we are concerned that a number of individuals have been sentenced to death in televised show-trials which fell far short of international standards guaranteeing the right to a fair trial. On 28 January Iran executed Arash Rahmanipour and Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani; both were sentenced to death for "enmity against God" following prosecution at show trials.

Secondary information