Family of jailed pro-democracy activist hold talks with new UK Government

Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been detained since September 29 2019.

Mona Seif, the sister of British-Egyptian writer Alaa Abd El-Fattah (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Archive)

The family of a jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy writer hope his release can be secured as the fifth anniversary of his arrest approaches.

Alaa Abd El-Fattah, 42, has been detained since September 29 2019 and in December 2021 was sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of spreading false news.

Mr Abd El-Fattah previously carried out hunger strikes during his detention and his case has also been discussed between the leaders of the UK and Egypt.

The Free Alaa campaign said his sister Mona Seif met with Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer on Monday, the first talks between the family and the new Labour administration.

Ms Seif pressed the case for her brother to be released by September 29 and repeated a request for the family to meet Foreign Secretary David Lammy ahead of that date.

Ms Seif said: “I feel it was a good first meeting.

“Minister Falconer was sympathetic and assured me that my brother’s freedom is a priority to our new Government.

“Of course, it’s too early to tell how this will translate into action, and if 2024 could finally be the year we see Alaa free and an end to our family’s ordeal, but I will borrow Alaa’s words from a letter when he got the news that David Lammy has finally become our Foreign Secretary and say: I’m allowing myself to feel hopeful.”

Mr Abd El-Fattah has spent most of the past decade behind bars in Egypt and is unable to see his young son who lives in Brighton.

Eilidh Macpherson, Amnesty International UK’s individuals at risk campaign manager, said: “It’s encouraging that Hamish Falconer has held this meeting with Mona Seif and we hope it signals an intention from the new Government to re-energise the UK’s efforts to secure Alaa’s release.

“Alaa’s a distinguished democracy activist who’s been arbitrarily detained for almost five years having been jailed on trumped-up charges of ‘spreading false news’ after a grossly unfair trial.

“David Lammy should follow up on yesterday’s meeting with a meeting of his own with Alaa’s family, and – more broadly – we need to see the new Government delivering on its manifesto pledge to strengthen support for British nationals arbitrarily detained overseas, including fully delivering on a commitment to a legal right to consular access.”

The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.