Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Egypt on behalf of Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed.

We regularly raise the case of detained journalists, including Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, in our conversations with the Egyptian government. Most recently, officials discussed this case with the Egyptian Ambassador in London on 22 July.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), made a press statement in February stating his concern that Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed remained in prison, and calling on the Egyptian authorities to review their sentences as a matter of urgency.

We will continue to urge the Government of Egypt to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of speech, including the right of journalists to operate without fear of prosecution. The UK has clearly stated that freedom of the press is fundamental to building a democratic society.