Written question asked by Louise Ellman (Labour) on Monday, 24 October 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 26 October 2011. It was answered by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Thursday, 27 October 2011 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iran: Higher Education

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Iranian authorities on the access of the Baha'i community to higher education.

Answer: We have made representations to the Iranian authorities about this issue. The closure of the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education and arrest of members of its staff form part of a wider pattern of harassment of Baha'is in Iran, including the imprisonment of Baha'i leaders. We regularly raise these issues with the Iranian authorities, including when I met the Iranian chargé d'affaires in August this year. We will continue to press the Iranian Government to accord all their people the right to freedom of religion. With our EU partners, the UK has taken co-ordinated action to address Iran's human rights record, imposing travel bans and asset freezes on over 60 Iranians responsible for human rights violations, including Government Ministers and members of the judiciary.

Secondary information