To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he plans to hold with the Iranian Government on the fate of the seven Baha'is who are expected shortly to be put on trial by the Iranian authorities. (261733)

We have called repeatedly for the Iranian Government to release the seven leading members of the Iranian Baha'i community. We issued a statement on 16 February 2009, backed by an EU statement on 17 February 2009, expressing our concern and calling for the Iranian Government to ensure that any trial is fair and to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings.

The Iranian authorities are reluctant to engage with the international community, and refuse to receive formal representations on human rights issues from the EU. In this context we believe the most significant impact we can have is by ensuring that international attention remains focussed on the human rights environment in Iran. Alongside our EU partners we repeatedly express our firm opposition to all forms of discrimination and oppression, and urge Iran to respect and protect its religious minorities and free all prisoners held due to their faith or religious practice.

The statement issued on 16 February 2009 is available for viewing at:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/?view=PressS&id=13644191