Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions has he had with his Egyptian counterpart on the effect of the introduction of laws on the (a) Protest Law and (b) Assembly Law on human rights in that country.

Egypt is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly raises concerns about human rights with the Egyptian Government. We are concerned by the increasing restrictions on civil society. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement (available on gov.uk) in response to President Sisi's ratification of the restrictive Non-Government Organisation Law in May 2017. The Foreign Secretary also raised human rights concerns with President Sisi during his visit to Cairo in February of that year. This included emphasising the importance of a free and open society. We will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Egypt, and to urge the Government to ensure the full observance of the rights and freedoms contained in the Egyptian Constitution.