Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will encourage the government of Ethiopia to free political prisoners.
We welcome the recent announcement by the Ethiopian Prime Minister on reforms to open up political dialogue, including the planned release of some imprisoned politicians. The British Government is in close contact with the Ethiopian authorities to seek more information on what this will mean in practice, including for British nationals currently imprisoned in Ethiopia. The UK has repeatedly raised human rights concerns with the Ethiopian government, including around the arrest and imprisonment of people for their political views.