Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the release of the photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan.

The Foreign Secretary raised our human rights concerns with Egypt's President Sisi during his visit to Cairo on 25 February 2017. This included emphasising the importance of a free and open society. Our Ambassador to Egypt, and other officials have previously raised Shawkan's case with the Egyptian authorities.