David Miliband commented yesterday that he “deplore[d] the way in which the Iranian Parliament is… now discussing a draft penal code that would set out a mandatory death sentence for the crime, quote unquote, of apostasy.” He went on to say that “If adopted, [the legislation] would violate the right to freedom of religion, which is also an important basis of any civilised society.”

Mr Miliband’s comments on apostasy came as part of a wide-ranging attack on Iran’s recent human rights record which he delivered to the House of Commons. He also highlighted execution figures which he suggested were “horrific” and assured his audience that he continued to raise Iran’s human rights violations with the Iranian authorities.

Stuart Windsor, National Director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said: “We welcome the Foreign Secretary’s strong stance on Iran’s recent human rights record and particularly his comment on the nature of the draft bill. Such legislation, if passed, will almost certainly hold grave consequences for Christians and Bahá’ís in Iran. CSW joins the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in urging the Iranian Parliament to drop this bill without delay.”

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