More than 100 MPs and peers have written to the Foreign Secretary expressing concern over the lack of progress on the release of a jailed British-Egyptian activist.
It comes seven months after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shook hands with Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi while Alaa Abd el-Fattah was on the brink of a hunger strike.
former shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn; former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith; John Montague, 11th Earl of Sandwich; And Chris Patton, the last British governor of Hong Kong, “expressed our concern at the lack of progress in the Alaa Abdul-Fattah case,” James wisely wrote.
“Private lobbying by the Egyptian government, even at the highest levels, has yet to bear fruit. This calls for new approaches that build on traditional British strengths in international diplomacy,” they said, adding that the UK should take the lead when addressing the UN Human Rights Council on the situation in Egypt. .
“We urge you to update the FCDO travel advisory as a matter of priority to align with the US travel advisory on the status of citizens detained in Egypt,” they added.
This year marks a decade since the military coup that brought Sisi to power, during which he cracked down on all forms of political dissent, imprisoning journalists and activists and cracking down on potential opposition to his rule. Abd el-Fattah and his family have been frequent targets: the 41-year-old organizer and writer has spent much of the past 10 years in prison, accused of terrorism charges and violating a law that essentially bans protests in Egypt.
Sunak publicly shook hands with Sisi during the Cop27 climate conference last November, while Abd el-Fattah was imprisoned – severely weakened by a long hunger strike and subsequent water strike – in a high-security prison in the desert. As Sisi welcomed world leaders to Egypt, Abdel Fattah repeatedly “[smashed] His own head on the wall of his cell”, his family said, demanding that his case be investigated. He was given IV fluids.
Days before the meeting with Sisi, Sunak wrote to Abdul-Fattah’s sister, Sana Seif, who had already staged a protest outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office demanding government action on the matter. “We are fully committed to solving your brother’s case; “As a human rights defender and a British citizen, he is a priority for the British government,” he said.
após a promoção do boletim informativo
No entanto, nos quase oito meses desde aquela carta de 5 de novembro do ano passado, não houve progresso.
Os autores da carta ao secretário de Relações Exteriores escreveram: “É claro que você sabe que, enquanto os dois líderes se reuniam, Alaa estava perigosamente perto da morte, desmaiando poucos dias depois.
“Desde que optou por encerrar sua greve de fome e água, ele permanece preso em sua cela e ainda não recebeu uma única visita de um funcionário consular, apesar dos repetidos compromissos com a família de Alaa de ministros e funcionários britânicos de que estão fazendo tudo o que podem. .”
Abd el-Fattah e suas irmãs ganharam a cidadania britânica por meio de sua mãe, com Abd el-Fattah recebendo sua cidadania enquanto estava preso em dezembro de 2021. No entanto, as autoridades egípcias se recusaram a reconhecer sua nacionalidade britânica, impedindo o acesso consular a ele enquanto estava detido e provocando sua greve de fome em protesto no ano passado.
O grupo de parlamentares e colegas destacou a Cleverly os riscos de as autoridades egípcias não reconhecerem a dupla nacionalidade e instou o ministro a atualizar o conselho do Ministério das Relações Exteriores sobre viagens ao Egito para corresponder aos avisos de riscos para cidadãos com dupla nacionalidade emitidos pelo departamento de estado dos EUA.
“É motivo de grande preocupação que os cidadãos britânicos não tenham um conselho claro para confiar neste assunto, que é vital para sua segurança pessoal”, disseram eles. “O fato de o Reino Unido ter negado o acesso consular a Alaa Abd el-Fattah sugere que a situação dos cidadãos britânicos com dupla nacionalidade é semelhante ou até pior à dos americanos”.
Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
