Speaking today about an Egyptian court sentencing more than five hundred people to death, Foreign Secretary William Hague said:

I am deeply concerned by the reports that 528 individuals were today sentenced to death by a court in Al Minya in Egypt.

Reports that many of the accused were tried in their absence and that defendants may not have been adequately represented are also deeply worrying. We urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure full respect for defendants’ rights, and hope they will review this unacceptable sentence.

It is the long-standing policy of Her Majesty’s Government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle.

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