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Written question asked by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 February 2026. It was answered by Hamish Falconer (Labour) on Tuesday, 24 February 2026 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Iraq and Syria: Yazidis

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Syrian and Iraqi counterparts on the security and protection of Yazidis and other minority faith communities in Syria.

Answer

We have consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition in Syria and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all, regardless of religious or ethnic background, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Syrian Government. I raised this with the Syrian Foreign Minister during his visit to London in November and further pressed the point on the importance of human rights when we spoke last month.

Supporting stabilisation and safe returns of Yazidis to Sinjar, the Yazidi homeland, is a priority for the UK and part of our Freedom of Religion or Belief strategy (FoRB). In July 2025 the former Minister for Human Rights and the UK Special Envoy for FoRB met with Mir Hazem Tahsin Beg, the Prince of the Yazidis. We also raise threats to minority faith communities in regular engagements with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and in multilateral fora. For example, at Iraq's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in June, we recommended that Iraq upholds the right for minorities to freely practice their religion or belief, without fear of persecution.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
112626
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Iraq Syria Yazidis
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk