VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Afghanistan: Religious Freedom

Asked by Sir Julian LewisConservativeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 31 October 2024UIN 11219

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help end violations of freedom of religion or belief in Afghanistan.

Answered by Mr Hamish Falconer

The Government continues to call for the human rights of all Afghans to be protected, including the freedom of religion or belief, and we regularly press the Taliban on this through our Doha based UK Mission to Afghanistan. Ministers and officials also engage regularly with a range of Afghans, including religious and ethnic minorities, to ensure our policy and programming reflect the needs of the entire population. In October, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution extending the mandate of UN Special Rapporteur, Richard Bennett, to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan for another year, including that of minority groups.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim