The MP for Brighton Pavilion, Caroline Lucas, has urged the government to use every channel to secure the release of a British citizen who is on hunger strike in an Egyptian prison.
The Green MP spoke out about the plight of Alaa Abd El-Fattah in the House of Commons yesterday (Tuesday 8 November) during a ministerial question time.
She called on the government “to make really clear the consequences if Egypt were to allow Alaa to die in prison”.
Her call coincided with the United Nations COP27 climate change conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The Green MP asked the Conservative Development Minister Andrew Mitchell: “Today will be the third day that Alaa Abdel Fattah – a pro-democracy activist and British citizen – has not consumed any water.
“The minister will know that he has been in prison in Egypt for nine years and that he has been on hunger strike for more than 200 days.
“With the eyes of the world on COP27, will the minister confirm that the government will not allow Egypt to get away with using the summit to paper over human rights atrocities and that every UK channel is being used to secure Alaa’s release?
“And will he make really clear the consequences if Egypt were to allow Alaa to die in prison?”
Mr Mitchell said: “That matter was raised specifically by the Prime Minister at cabinet this morning.
“He spoke to the Egyptian authorities and I have no doubt that the arguments that she (Caroline Lucas) put were strenuously emphasised by the Prime Minister in those discussions.”
Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that “for too long the government’s diplomacy has been weak”.
Mr Lammy said: “(Alaa Abd El-Fattah is) a British citizen and a democracy campaigner imprisoned in Egypt for sharing a Facebook post.
“His mother waited outside Wadi al-Natrun prison on Monday for the weekly letter from her son – no letter came out.
“He has stopped drinking water and his life is now in grave danger.
“For too long the government’s diplomacy has been weak. The Prime Minister, yes, raised the case yesterday but failed to secure consular access before he did so.
“What diplomatic price has Egypt paid for denying the right of consular access to a British citizen?
“Will the minister make clear there will be serious diplomatic consequences if access is not granted immediately and Alaa is not released and reunited with his family?”
Mr Mitchell said: “The Shadow Foreign Secretary is absolutely right to raise this case and it is for that reason that the Prime Minister made a particular point of making representations to his opposite number in Egypt and I very much hope those representations will be heard.”
Mr Abd El-Fattah’s aunt Ahdaf Soueif told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Downing Street officially said (the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak) had raised the case but refused to respond to any questions.
“What we fear is that the British are allowing themselves once again to be fobbed off with the excuses that the Egyptian government has been using now since December when we started asking for consular visits.
“Of course we want to see Alaa released. Of course that would be the just and the right and the fair thing to happen. But we are also asking for consular visits.
“He has had no access to anybody outside the family since December. His lawyers have not seen him. No representative of any human rights organisation has seen him. The British consulate or embassy has not seen him despite repeated demands.
“We are just saying that Rishi Sunak should really not come back without some British official having actually seen Alaa, having spoken to him and giving us some proof of life and consciousness and told us what will happen next.
“If they leave without this happening, this will give the Egyptian government a sense of impunity. And there are 60,000 other political prisoners in Egypt now.”
