JOURNALISTS IN DETENTION IN EGYPT

Early day motion 53, tabled 5 June 2014 by Jeremy Corbyn (Labour). Signed by 34 members.

That this House notes the dangers encountered unjustly by journalists reporting from areas of conflict and change; expresses its alarm that since July 2013 more than 30 Al Jazeera staff have been detained in Egypt while four still remain imprisoned; further notes that Abdullah Elshamy was arrested in August 2013 and has been on hunger strike and is ill and that Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were arrested in December 2013; further notes the international support for their plight from the National Union of Journalists as well as #FreeAJStaff and spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International and prominent international journalists; urges all governments to guarantee the safety of all journalists who play a crucial role in reporting the news as and when they see it; and further urges the Government to press the Egyptian authorities to bring about the release of all the detained journalists as a matter of the utmost urgency.

Signatures by party: Labour 19, Liberal Democrat 4, Plaid Cymru 3, DUP 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, Conservative 1, Green 1, Independent 1, Scottish National Party 1.