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Baha'i Faith: Persecution

Asked by Preet Kaur GillLabour (Co-op)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 28 April 2025UIN 45084

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made in efforts to decrease the number of instances of persecution on Bahai communities.

Answered by Stephen Doughty

The UK champions, and remains strongly committed to, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Working with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, we are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral organisations, our bilateral work, and our programme funding,

The continued persecution of the Baha'i community including in Iran and Yemen, including unfair arrest and detention, land grabs, and denial of burial rights, is unacceptable. We are committed to working with international partners to hold countries to account for repression of the Bahai's, and other religious or belief minorities, including at the United Nations.

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