Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah is included in any trade agreement with Egypt.

The Government is committed to securing Mr El-Fattah’s release, and we continue to raise his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. The Prime Minister raised the case in a letter to President Sisi on 4 May. The National Security Adviser also raised Mr-El Fattah’s case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 27 April and the Foreign Secretary raised with Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 9 April.

Our strong bilateral relationship with Egypt enables us to raise our human rights concerns. We will continue to act in standing up for human rights around the world, providing support to open societies and drawing on our full range of tools and levers, including our independent global human rights sanctions regime to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations and abuses. HM Government continues, in London and through British Embassies worldwide, to discuss and advocate for human rights.