Posted on 2013-08-27 | 04:43

Roger has written to the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to express his dismay at the ongoing carnage in Egypt, where hundreds of peaceful protestors have been killed since the military deposed then-President Morsi on 3 July. Roger urged the Government to use all the diplomatic means at its disposal to put pressure on the Egyptian military to end the violence against its own people, and restore civil liberties and democracy.

Roger says: “While it is difficult for foreign countries to intervene in Egypt, there are steps the UK Government could take that would help to protect the lives of the Egyptian people. I have urged the Foreign Secretary to apply diplomatic pressure via the Egyptian embassy in the UK, to support the call by NGOs for the UN to be allowed access to Egypt, and to immediately cancel all arms export licenses to Egypt.”

Roger has tabled a Parliamentary Question, asking the Government whether any of the UK arms export licenses to Egypt still stand and if they will provide a breakdown of the weapons and military equipment supplied to Egypt since the military dissolved the Egyptian Parliament in February 2011. Roger says: “I want to make sure that the UK is not helping to provide the Egyptian military with the equipment it is using against its own citizens.”

You can read Roger’s letter to the Foreign Secretary here and the FCO's response here.