Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with her Egyptian counterpart to secure (a) consular access to and (b) the release of Alaa Abdel Fattah.

Since his sentencing in December 2021, FCDO officials have consistently called on the Egyptian Government urgently to grant consular access to Alaa Abdel-Fattah. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, the Minister of State for North Africa, raised the case with Foreign Minister Shoukry during a call on 21 May; Lord (Tariq) Ahmad and the Foreign Secretary also raised the case with Minister Shoukry during the Foreign Minister's recent visit to London. As the Foreign Secretary said in the House on 21 June, we are working to secure his release.