Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt on behalf of Mohammed Hegazy.

We are concerned about the case of Mr Mohammed Hegazy, who converted to Christianity in 1998. We raised Mr Hegazy’s case at official level with the Egyptian Embassy in London on 7 January.

We deplore all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise their faith. The Government of Egypt has clearly stated its commitment to protecting the rights of minorities and of the need for religious tolerance, and the Egyptian constitution contains protection for freedom of religious belief. It is important that these rights are respected.

In September our Ambassador to Egypt called on the Patriarch of Alexandria, and officials from our embassy in Cairo recently met members of the Coptic Christian community to discuss the challenges they face.

The British Government will continue to raise concerns about such cases with the Egyptian authorities.