Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Iran: Alleged Human Rights Violations

Tuesday 30 July 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Iran remains a hostile environment for journalists, facing harassment and long prison sentences.
  • The Foreign Office provides 25% of the BBC World Service budget.
  • The Government recognises the threat posed by the IRGC and will take necessary measures to counter it.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tom Gordon Lib Dem Harrogate and Knaresborough
Foreign Affairs Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The Iranian authorities have systematically targeted BBC Persian staff and their families to intimidate them, affecting freedom of the press.

Question

What discussions has he had with his Iranian counterpart on alleged human rights violations? The Iranian authorities are targeting BBC Persian staff. Will he commit to working across Government with the Culture Secretary to revisit cuts to BBC Persian funding?

Answer from Hamish Falconer

Iran remains a hostile environment for journalists, facing harassment and long prison sentences. The Foreign Office provides 25% of the BBC World Service budget. No Ministers are available to discuss this issue currently as they are having their inauguration today.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to revisiting cuts and increasing funding for BBC Persian was not addressed specifically.

How: No Ministers Available To Discuss

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Q2 Tom Gordon Lib Dem Harrogate and Knaresborough
Foreign Affairs Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The Iranian authorities have been targeting BBC Persian staff, affecting their ability to work as journalists.

Question

Will the Foreign Secretary commit to working with the Culture Secretary to revisit cuts to BBC Persian funding and increase support for its vital journalism?

Answer from Hamish Falconer

Iran remains an extremely hostile environment for journalists. The Foreign Office provides 25% of the BBC World Service budget, but no Ministers are available now due to the inauguration today.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to revisiting cuts and increasing funding was not directly addressed.

How: No Ministers Available

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Q3 Dan Tomlinson Lab Chipping Barnet
Community Security Foreign Affairs
Context

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a destructive force operating through proxies in the Middle East, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

Question

Will the Minister update on ongoing work to proscribe the IRGC and reassure that UK stands with Israel against continued aggression?

Answer from Hamish Falconer

The Government recognises the threat posed by the IRGC. We will take necessary measures to counter it at home and abroad, but cannot comment on whether an organisation is under consideration for proscription at this time.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific updates on proscription of IRGC were not provided.

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