Dozens of MPs and Lords have urged the overseas secretary to instantly safe the discharge of a British citizen unlawfully jailed in Egypt, warning that after a 200-day starvation strike “he may not live for much longer”.
Alaa-Abdel Fattah, 40, has been consuming simply 100 energy a day since May in protest of the Egyptian authorities’ refusal to grant him a consular go to, regardless of the very fact his case has been raised twice by former prime minister Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss, as overseas secretary.
In despair, the British-Egyptian software program developer introduced on Thursday that he’ll scale back his consumption to zero energy a day, forward of subsequent month’s Cop27 summit hosted by Egypt {that a} high-level British delegation will attend.
Sixty-four MPs and friends from throughout the political divide wrote to James Cleverly, warning Mr Abdel-Fattah’s life is a “serious risk” and urging him to make use of each alternative on the local weather summit to work on his freedom.
They mentioned the continued persecution and psychological torture of the activist by Egypt, a supposed ally, “gives us grave concerns about the precedent being set for our constituents arrested in Egypt as well as other countries.”
“We are particularly concerned that Egypt, a longstanding strategic partner of the UK, would act with seeming disinterest to our government’s legitimate duty of care for British citizens,” learn the letter signed by figures together with Lord Patten, David Jones, the Duke of Norfolk, Desmond Swayne, Crispin Blunt, and Baroness Kennedy.
“COP27, just a few days away, will be a moment of intense public scrutiny on Egypt. Several important British climate groups have already expressed concern that the conference will be used to paper over human rights concerns in the country,” the letter continued.
“We understand that the UK government has lent significant support to the Egyptians to deliver a complex logistical operation, and to secure the legacy of COP26. We ask that you also ensure that the UK uses the opportunity to secure Alaa’s release.”
Mr Abdel-Fattah has been jailed by each Egyptian president in his lifetime and has spent a lot of the previous decade behind bars.
Together with different relations, he has been repeatedly focused by the administration of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the nation’s ex-army chief who stormed to energy after a 2013 coup that ousted unpopular Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohammed Morsi, who himself subsequently died in jail.
The software program developer and father is presently serving his newest five-year sentence – which the friends and MPs labelled “unlawful”. He was convicted on costs of spreading false information after he shared social media posts that had been crucial of horrible jail situations beneath the military-backed regime.
The Egyptian authorities have repeatedly denied the abuse of prisoners in its jails or that they’ve stifled freedoms.
But Mr Abdel-Fattah’s household worry his life is now “hanging by a thread” and he’ll die – presumably in the course of the COP27 – if no motion is taken. His sister Sanaa, herself a British citizen who has been jailed thrice in Cairo, began a sit in outdoors of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in protest final week.
“It terrifies me to think what might happen when his body is already so weak,” Ms Seif mentioned from her tent.
“Alaa has been on hunger strike for over 200 days – in that time we’ve had three governments, all of whom have let us down, failing even to gain the most basic consular access. It’s unbearable to think that the current political chaos could cost him his life.
“With only a few days until COP27 begins in Egypt, I ask the British politicians going to attend the conference – are you really prepared to let your citizen die on your watch?”
Shadow overseas secretary David Lammy, a household MP, visited the sit-in this week the place he mentioned he was petitioning the FCDO to work on Alaa’s case.
“This has now gone on for too lengthy. Too lengthy. Another household in determined want. And after all, you shouldn’t need to resort to a sit-in to attract consideration to those points,” he mentioned.
Thursday’s cross-party letter mentioned that dozens of worldwide organisations had referred to as for the unconditional launch of all these arbitrarily detained in Egypt for exercising their rights earlier than COP27.
The letter urged the overseas secretary to assist the decision saying it could “complete a job” began by Liz Truss, it could safe a diplomatic win for Britain and be a major “victory for democracy worldwide”.
“You would ensure that the essential climate negotiations remain the principal focus at COP27,” the letter added.
Source: www.impartial.co.uk