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To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to support pro-democracy student groups in Iran.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

13 November 2008

Reference

482 c1411W; 204369

House

House of Commons

Iran: Human Rights

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Iran on human rights.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

3 November 2008

Reference

482 c165-6W; 204316

House

House of Commons

Iran: Females

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Iran on the status of women in that country.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

2 May 2008

For answer on

7 May 2008

Answered on

3 November 2008

Iranian leaders argue that the situation of women in Iran is better than in other countries in the region and are rightly proud that women make up over half of all university students. However, women remain largely excluded from positions of authority, and gender based inequality is widespread and reinforced by Iranian law. We are particularly concerned by the treatment of Iranian women connected to the Campaign for Equality (which aims to collect 1 million signatures on a petition demanding changes to discriminatory laws and educate women about their rights). Many, throughout the country, have been arrested for peaceful activities in support of the campaign and sentenced to prison terms or flogging sentences on charges such as 'acting against national security' and 'propaganda against the system'. The Campaign's website has been blocked by the Iranian authorities 16 times. With the EU, we continue to make our concerns about this known to the Iranian authorities, and have done so at least four times this year. In a public declaration issued on 6 August the EU condemned the arrest of three women's rights activists arrested in Kurdistan province and called on the Iranian authorities to"““release these activists unconditionally as soon as possible and to drop all charges against them and other activists of the One Million Signatures campaign who are still under investigation or arrest””."The EU condemned this persecution and intimidation once again in a human rights démarche delivered on 6 October, and called for the release of 16 detained women's rights activists connected to the campaign.

Date

3 November 2008

Reference

482 c165W; 204324

House

House of Commons

Iran: Politics and Government

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to engage with the democratic opposition in Iran.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

3 November 2008

Reference

482 c166W; 204317

House

House of Commons

Iraq: Homophobia

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the level of violence and persecution aimed at gay men in (a) Iraq and (b) Iran.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

2 May 2008

For answer on

7 May 2008

Answered on

19 May 2008

We have serious concerns about the treatment of homosexuals in Iran and Iraq.We are particularly concerned that homosexual activities are illegal and can carry the death penalty in Iran although we have not been able to confirm any executions that have taken place solely on the grounds of homosexuality in recent years. We are aware of concerns that some people charged and executed for other crimes (such as rape and kidnap) may have been homosexual.Homosexuals, along with other minority groups in Iran, do experience discrimination but we do not have any evidence of a state-led campaign of persecution targeting Iran's gay community. It is difficult to get reliable information about the situation of homosexuals in Iran as the issue is not generally discussed in public.The UK and the EU regularly raise human rights concerns with the Iranian Government. Most recently, in a demarche to the Iranian authorities on 27 April, the EU raised concerns about a report that over 30 men had been arrested when police raided a party at a home in Esfahan in February. The men were reportedly referred to a forensic medical examiner to look for evidence that they had engaged in homosexual conduct.The UK is concerned about reports of violence and persecution of homosexuals in Iraq. We do not have any direct evidence of targeted or systematic abuses taking place against the homosexual community within Iraq, although random acts of violence have taken place. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, together with the private secretary to Ann Clwyd MP, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to Iraq on Human Rights, will soon be arranging a meeting with the Iraqi lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender group to discuss the issues and challenges that face them in Iraq.

Date

19 May 2008

Reference

476 c75-6W; 204334

House

House of Commons

Afghanistan

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Government of (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iran on the (i) legal and (ii) cultural status of women in those countries.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

4 December 2006

For answer on

6 December 2006

Answered on

11 December 2006

The UK has regular discussions with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and supports the efforts of the EU Special Representative on the implementation of human rights, including women’s rights, in Afghanistan.Afghan women, excluded by the Taliban, now play an active part in everyday life in Afghanistan. Their equality is enshrined in the Afghan Constitution, which also protects their right to participate in Afghan political life. 27 per cent. of seats in the Lower House of the Afghan parliament are held by women. Women also enjoy equal access to the Afghan education system. 37 per cent. of students in Afghanistan are girls and a third of teachers are women. 19 per cent. of students enrolled in higher education are women. In addition, the Constitution requires the Government to uphold its obligations under international law. Rape and forced marriage are prohibited by Afghanistan’s obligations under the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, both of which Afghanistan has ratified. That said, securing the full participation of Afghan women in all sectors of the economy and society will take time and we acknowledge serious problems remain. We remain committed to working with the Afghan Government and its international partners to improve women’s ability to exercise their rights.Although the situation of women in Iran is in some respects better than in other countries in the region, we remain concerned about the discrimination faced by women in Iran. Domestic violence remains a serious problem, women’s participation in the labour force is low and women continue to face significant discrimination in the legal system. For example, the evidence of a woman is worth less than that of a man in court, and women do not enjoy equal rights in cases involving divorce, inheritance or the custody of children.We raise women’s rights and other human rights concerns regularly with the Iranian authorities, bilaterally and through the EU. We were pleased that all EU countries co-sponsored a draft resolution at this year’s UN General Assembly, approved by Third Committee on 21 November, which expressed serious concern at the continuing violence and discrimination against women and girls, and called upon the Iranian Government to"““eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls””."

Date

11 December 2006

Reference

105177; 454 c764-5W;454 c766-7W

House

House of Commons

Belarus

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of reports that Belarus has sold arms illegally to Iran.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

22 May 2006

Reference

446 c1413-4W;446 c1414W; 68196

House

House of Commons

Iran

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to support pro-democracy student groups in Iran.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

2 May 2006

Reference

65664; 445 c1395W;445 c1395W

House

House of Commons

Iran

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to engage with the democratic opposition in Iran.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

13 February 2006

For answer on

15 February 2006

Answered on

20 March 2006

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and our embassy in Tehran maintain contact with a wide range of Iranians in many different fields. We are seriously concerned about human rights and political freedoms in Iran. Ministers and officials raise our concerns frequently with the Iranian authorities. We also take action through the EU, and in United Nations fora. We maintain a dialogue with those inside and outside the Iranian Government who are working to support reform and the rule of law. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in a speech at the International Institute of Strategic Studies on 13 March,"We will not take sides in Iran's internal political debates—these are for Iranians to resolve and they are perfectly capable of doing so themselves. Given their history, Iranians are understandably sensitive about any hint of outside interference. But this does not mean that we should stop standing up for principles of human rights and fundamental freedoms which we hold dear to ourselves and which so many Iranians aspire to: freedom of speech; transparent, genuinely democratic and accountable government; respect for the rights of minorities and women; an independent judiciary””."Ministers and officials have no contact with an organisation proscribed under the Terrorism Act, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), which purports to be a democratic opposition movement, nor with the National Council for the Resistance of Iran, a group with which it has close links. The MEK has been responsible for numerous attacks resulting in many deaths. Its claims to be a democratic party are hard to square with a history of violence and its authoritarian nature, and it has virtually no support inside Iran.

Date

20 March 2006

Reference

444 c82W;444 c82W; 52185

House

House of Commons

Iran

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Iran regarding respect for human rights.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

16 February 2006

Reference

442 c2284-5W;442 c2284-5W; 52184

House

House of Commons

Iran

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of statements by the President of Iran denying the Holocaust.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

11 January 2006

Reference

40552; 441 c673-4W

House

House of Commons

Russia (Missiles Sales)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Russia on the sale of missiles to Iran.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

9 January 2006

Reference

40588; 441 c196W

House

House of Commons

Iran

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the decision by the Government of Iran to replace diplomats regarded as being too liberal.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

15 November 2005

Reference

26771; 439 c1183W;439 c1183W

House

House of Commons

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what measures his Department is taking to support the reform movement in Iran.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

21 February 2005

Reference

431 c22-3W; 215683

House

House of Commons

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had concerning Iran's nuclear programme.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

21 February 2005

Reference

431 c23W; 215770

House

House of Commons

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards Iran.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

21 February 2005

Reference

431 c22W; 215682

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what action his Department is taking to ensure the return of the Royal Naval marine equipment and weapons held by the Iranian authorities.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

16 September 2004

Reference

424 c1768W;424 c1766W; 188352

House

House of Commons

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Iran about the Bushehr nuclear plant.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

14 September 2004

Reference

424 c1546W;424 c1545W; 188368

House

House of Commons

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights projects in 2002 (a) to establish a dialogue on human rights between the EU and Iran and (b) to strengthen the labour...

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

1 April 2004

Reference

419 c1639W;419 c1641W; 165205

House

House of Commons

Dept for International Development

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent estimate he has made of the number of Afghan refugees in (a) Pakistan and (b) Iran. - Inc figures.

Asked by

John Bercow (Conservative)

Answering body

Department for International Development

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

11 February 2004

Reference

149972; 417 c1467-8W

House

House of Commons

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Answering member

Legislative stage

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