Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department has undertaken a recent assessment of the welfare and treatment of Mr Andargachew Tsege; and if he will make a statement.

​When the former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), visited Ethiopia in June 2016, he stated that he was satisfied that Mr Tsege was not being ill-treated and that he was receiving regular visits from family members in Ethiopia. Our Ambassador to Ethiopia last visited Mr Tsege on 2 August 2016. This was the eleventh consular visit to Mr Tsege. At each visit, we ask Mr Tsege about his treatment in prison and whether he has any welfare issues that he would like to raise. Where we have Mr Tsege's permission to do so, we raise any concerns or issues about his welfare and treatment with the authorities, in line with our standard consular practice. We continue to monitor Mr Tsege's welfare closely and to support him and his family.