Boris Johnson has been criticised for failing to answer an MP's question and using the threat of legal action as an excuse.

The Foreign Secretary was asked in the Commons about the case of Andy Tsege, a British citizen who is on death row in Ethiopia accused of treason.

Tsege was seized while travelling through an airport in Yemen in 2014.

A prominent critic of the Ethiopian government, he had been tried and convicted even before his detention.

The UK government has refused to demand his release, even though Mr Tsege was granted British citizenship, and his partner and three children live in London.


Image: Boris Johnson pictured in the House of Commons

When Labour MP Stephen Timms pressed for a tougher response, Mr Johnson said he could not add to previous comments because of "ongoing legal proceedings".

However, an application for a judicial review of the case was heard and rejected in the High Court last month, and there has been no appeal.

David Cameron answered a question about the case in one of his last Commons appearances as Prime Minister while the legal challenge was still active.

Human Rights group Reprieve have been assisting Mr Tsege's family.

Its director Maya Foa said: "It is astonishing that Boris Johnson has refused to answer questions over his department's inaction on Andy Tsege.

Image: Labour MP Stephen Timms

"This is a British man who was sentenced to death in absentia, kidnapped from an airport, and rendered illegally to Ethiopia's death row.

"It is unacceptable that the UK has failed to ask for Andy's return to Britain, when the Ethiopian authorities have consistently broken their promises, including their assurances that Andy would be given 'legal access'.

"As more than one MP suggested today, it is time for the FCO to drop the charade that Andy can receive due process in Ethiopia.

"Boris Johnson must instead call for Andy's immediate return to his family in the UK."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We have raised this case with the Ethiopian Government repeatedly and at the very highest levels.

"The Foreign Secretary has made it clear to Foreign Minister Tedros that Mr Tsege must be given access to legal representation, as agreed by Prime Minister Hailemariam in June.

"We will press the Ethiopians on this matter until they follow through on this commitment. We will also continue to provide consular support to Mr Tsege and his family."