Written question asked by Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 15 January 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 20 January 2015 (named day). It was answered by Tobias Ellwood (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 January 2015 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Egypt

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Egyptian government on freedom of religion in that country for (a) atheists and (b) Christians.

Answer: We deplore all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise what they believe. Most recently, I raised the importance of protecting the human rights enshrined in Egypt’s constitution, which include freedom of belief and worship, with a number of senior figures in the Egyptian Government during my visit to Cairo on January 12-16. UK officials also discussed the importance of religious freedom with the Egyptian Deputy Assistant Minister for Human Rights, Dr Mahy Abdel Latif on 14 January 2015.

Secondary information