Iran
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

David Amess (Southend West, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made (a) directly or (b) through international agencies concerning 14 executions in the week starting the 8 October at Tabriz, Shiraz and Zahedan prisons in Iran and 12 further scheduled executions imminent at Ghezel Hesar Prison.

Alistair Burt (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Afghanistan/South Asia, counter terrorism/proliferation, North America, Middle East and North Africa), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; North East Bedfordshire, Conservative)

We frequently condemn Iran's use of the death penalty, most recently in an online campaign to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October 2012 in Farsi and English. On 24 August 2012, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs issued a statement condemning recent death sentences in Iran, as well as the regime's overall human rights record. Additionally on 24 October 2012 I issued a statement condemning the execution of 10 people in Iran on 22 October on drugs charges. We are pressing Iran to address international concerns over its use of the death penalty both through the EU and the UN General Assembly. In the UN General Assembly this autumn the UK will support the annual resolution on human rights in Iran and reiterate its strong support for the work of the UN Special Rapporteur, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, whose latest report details many areas of concern about Iran's use of the death penalty.