The family of Egyptian-British dissident Alaa Abdel Fattah, jailed in Egypt, called on the British government on Thursday to take steps to ensure his release within three days, to coincide with the end of sentenced to five years in prison.
Abdel Fattah (42 years old), who has been in custody in Egypt since late 2019, was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of publishing “false information” after republishing on Facebook a post accusing the police of torture.
Abdel Fattah is considered one of the symbols of the 2011 revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. He is also one of the most prominent opponents of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and has been in prison several times since 2006.
Abdel Fattah was granted British citizenship while in prison in 2022.
However, his family fears that the Egyptian authorities will not release him on September 29, by not counting his first two years in pre-trial detention, which would delay his release. until 2027.
His sister, Mona Seif, said at a press conference in London, “What we want (from the government) is to ensure that Alaa is released after serving a five-year prison sentence.”
His second sister, Sanaa, who spent more than a year in prison in Egypt, pointed out that the British Foreign Secretary, Labour’s David Lammy, gave clear support to Alaa when he was in the “front”.
She said Lamy gave us “a lot of support” before the Labor Party came to power in July, adding, “Now, I’m not sure about that,” noting the minister had not received them. yet. She emphasized that it is “very difficult to maintain hope when we get the impression” that the British government is “ignoring us.”
For her part, Fiona O’Brien, Director of Reporters Without Borders in the United Kingdom, believed that the situation of Alaa Abdel Fattah reflects a “larger problem” related to the way in which British diplomacy help his citizens abroad, noting that the Labor Party promised in his program to strengthen the support for him.
Sanaa Saif, who visited her brother in prison two weeks ago, said she was “very worried about him.” Alaa Abdel Fattah went on hunger strike for more than seven months in 2022.
Mona Seif emphasized that if he is not released, this means that he is sent to an “indefinite sentence,” because “this means that he (Egyptian authorities) can do anything they want to do it. “
2024-09-26 18:47:14
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