Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Indonesian government on the situation of Ahmadis in Bangka, Indonesia.

Mr Hugo Swire

We take freedom of religion or belief extremely seriously. We regularly urge Governments to protect the right of all individuals to practise their religion or belief free from persecution or discrimination. In this regard, we are concerned with the plight of the Ahmadiyah community in Bangka regency. Our Ambassador in Jakarta has discussed these issues, including the plight of the Ahamdiyah community, with the Minister of Religious Affairs, Indonesian civil society, and religious leaders. He urged them to ensure the rights of all individuals to practise their religion or belief freely were fully respected and protected.