Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to work towards a Council of Europe démarche regarding the issue of prisoners, both convicted and untried, in Egypt.

Egypt is not a member state of the Council of Europe and the decisions of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers generally focus on the Council of Europe membership. Nevertheless, the organisation plays a prominent role in promoting the humane treatment of offenders and decent prison conditions. The treatment of prisoners, both convicted and untried, in Egypt is an important concern of the UK. We regularly urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure that all detainees are treated in accordance with international human rights standards. During Egypt's Universal Periodic Review in the United Nations Human Rights Council in November 2019, we called upon the Egyptian government to ensure access to medical care and family visits in prisons, and to release all those detained for exercising the right to freedom of expression. The Foreign Secretary recently raised human rights issues with his Egyptian counterpart at the UK-Africa Investment Summit.