Written question asked by Lord Corbett of Castle Vale (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Monday, 11 October 2010.

Iran

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to Iran about the increase in human rights abuses since pro-democracy protests in June 2009, and what was the response.

Answer: The human rights situation in Iran is deplorable and has deteriorated markedly since the disputed election result in June 2009, when police and security forces resorted to excessive and sometimes lethal force against demonstrators. According to Amnesty International, the human rights situation in Iran was at its worst level in 20 years. My honourable friend Alistair Burt met the Iranian Ambassador on 20 September to discuss this and a range of human rights concerns. During this meeting, the Minister made it clear that the UK remains concerned by the restrictions on ordinary Iranians, and the ongoing detention of a number of protesters and human rights defenders. We reminded Iran that the Iranian authorities have an obligation to guarantee all its citizens the basic human rights and freedoms enshrined in the many international treaty bodies to which Iran is signatory, as well as in the Iranian constitution.

Secondary information