Written question asked by Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party) on Monday, 30 June 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 July 2025. It was answered by Stephen Doughty (Labour) on Thursday, 10 July 2025 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Religious Freedom: Sanctions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions on people responsible for religious persecution in (a) Iran, (b) Eritrea and (c) Pakistan.

Answer: The UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime can be used to impose sanctions for serious human rights violations or abuses, including; i) an individual's right to life; ii) right not to be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; and iii) right to be free from slavery, not to be held in servitude or required to perform forced or compulsory labour. Sanctions complement other tools as part of a wider strategy. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future designations as to do so could reduce their impact.

Secondary information