§ Mr. DhandaTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with(a) President Mubarak of Egypt and (b) Mr. Adek Ek Gazaar, the ambassador for Egypt regarding (i) human rights in Egypt and (ii) the imprisonment of Shaiboub William Arsal. [110830]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienOfficials maintain a dialogue with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on human rights issues, although there have been no discussions in recent weeks with either President Mubarak or the Egyptian ambassador. Ministers and officials make our views known to the Egyptian authorities when we have significant concerns about human rights violations.
We raised the case of Mr. Arsal during his original trial. His appeal is due to be heard later this year.
§ Mr. DhandaTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from NGOs regarding(a) human rights in Egypt and (b) the imprisonment of Shaiboub William Arsal in Egypt. [110831]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe regularly receive reports from NGOs on human rights cases in Egypt. I have recently received letters from a number of hon. members expressing constituents' concerns at the imprisonment 497W of Shaiboub William Arsal, and at allegations of persecution of Christians in Egypt. These letters are often inspired by NGO reports.