‘I can tell you it hurts’: Families of Britons detained abroad urge UK government to do more

UK government accused of ‘lacking compassion’ and ‘ignoring’ families

The sister of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British father imprisoned in Egypt, said the lack of action from the UK government ‘hurts’ his family (Zoe Tidman / The Independent)

The families of Britons detained abroad have accused the UK government of “lacking compassion” and “ignoring” them as they called on ministers to do more to release their loved ones.

A group gathered in Westminster on Tuesday to share their stories, while others - such as the daughter of imprisoned geologist Jim Fitton - joined with video messages.

All were calling for Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, to intervene to set their loved ones detained in various countries abroad free.

The sister of Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a British father imprisoned in Egypt, told how her brother was suffering as he continued his hunger strike in jail over his conditions.

“My brother is slowly dying in his prison cell but he wants to live. He misses life, he misses his job, he misses his son, and us,” she said.

Mr Abdel-Fattah, a blogger, human rights activist and leading figure in the 2011 Arab spring uprising, has spent most of the past decade behind bars in Egypt.

Alaa Abdel Fattah was a key figure in the 2011 Arab spring uprising (AFP via Getty Images)

He is currently more than three years into a sentence that centres around him sharing a blog post critical of prison conditions.

His sister, Sanaa Seif, told a press conference the family wanted Ms Truss to take a greater interest in the dual national’s case.

“We are deeply puzzled by the way we have been treated by the foreign secretary, Liz Truss,” she said.

“Why hasn’t she met with us until now? Why hasn’t she made an official statement about Alaa?”

Alaa Abdel Fattah has spent most of the last decade in jail in Egypt (AFP via Getty Images)

Ms Seif added: “I can tell you it hurts. Her ignoring us, really.”

Her sentiment was echoed by other friends and families of detained Britons, including that of Mr Fitton, a 66-year-old British father-of-two sentenced to 15 years in prison in Iraq earlier this month.

The retired geologist has been accused of attempting to smuggling artefacts out of Iraq. His family maintain Mr Fitton was unaware he was committing any crime or that the objects - shards of broken pottery and stones - had any value.

Jim Fitton has been handed a 15-year sentence in Iraq (AP)

“We have been frustrated being our wildest imagination by the complete lack of compassion displayed by junion ministers in our case and the complete lack of engagement by the foreign secretary herself,” his son-in-law, Sam Tasker, said in a video message.

“The foreign secretary has – to our knowledge – never even acknowledged Jim’s existence.”

Friends of Peter Jouvenal, a former BBC journalist being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, were also among those at the meeting at Portcullis House on Tuesday.

Peter Jouvenal (right) is being held in jail in Afghanistan (Peter Jouvenal/PA) (PA)

One of them, Rich Parry, said they had “very grave misgivings about the Foreign Office and what they are doing”.

“We have misgivings about the person who assigned to deal with Peter and negotiate with the Taliban, we think he is not really qualified, doesn’t know Afghanistan,” he said.

No charges have yet been brought against father-of-three Mr Jouvenal, who Mr Parry said has had just two phone calls with his wife in the six months since his arrest.

Meanwhile the brother of Jagtar Singh Johal - a Scottish man who has been vocal about historic abuses against India’s Sikh population - criticised a lack of transparency from the Foreign Office.

Mr Singh Johal has been in an Indian prison - where he is believed to have suffered torture - after being arrested weeks after his wedding in the country.

Jagtar Singh Johal is currently in prison in India (Family/PA) (PA Media)

His brother, Gurpreet Singh, said they are never really sure what the government is doing to try and secure his release.

“While they say they are raising the case, they don’t actually tell us exactly what they are doing,” he said via video message.

Mr Singh said he was being supported by families who have gone through similar situations, such as Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released earlier this year after years in an Iranian prison.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released from Iranian detention earlier this year (Free Nazanin campaign/AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Jouvenal’s friend, Mr Parry, said he was also in daily contact with Mr Ratcliffe, who was at the event and urged the UK government to take torture “more seriously”.

The families, along with shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, are urging MPs to contact Ms Truss and Boris Johnson to urge them to make a more robust intervention in the cases.

An FCDO spokesperson said: “We continue to provide consular assistance to British Nationals detained abroad. The action we take in a consular case is tailored to the individual situation and what we judge to be most effective.”