Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Egyptian government on freedom of speech in that country.

I regularly raise the importance of freedom of speech with members of the Egyptian government, including most recently during my visit to Cairo on January 12 – 16. The UK Government also raised concerns about restrictions on freedom of speech in Egypt during the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of Egypt’s human rights situation on 5 November.

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.