Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to help secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah.

The Government is committed to securing Mr El-Fattah's release so he can be reunited with his family. We continue to engage actively in pressing for his release at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. The Prime Minister raised the case with President Sisi on 26 June. The former Foreign Secretary has also raised the case regularly, most recently in a call with Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 31 August. I most recently raised Mr El-Fattah's case with Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 28 July and with the Egyptian Ambassador to the UK on multiple occasions.