Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on action taken by the Egyptian government against Reuters as a result of that company’s reporting of the case of Giulio Regeni; and what representations he has made to that government on such reports.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are concerned by reports that Reuters is under investigation in relation to an article published on 21 April about Giulio Regeni’s case, and are in contact with Reuters to establish the facts. We consider a free and independent media to be a vital element of a stable and democratic state. As well as calling on the Egyptian authorities to ensure a full and transparent investigation in full cooperation with the Italian authorities, we continue to call on the Egyptian government to ensure that the rule of law and rights enshrined in the Egyptian constitution are protected, so that journalists are able to operate freely without fear of persecution.