Alaa Abdel Fattah

(asked on 5th May 2023) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last discussed the case of Alaa Abdel Fattah with his Egyptian counterpart.


Answered by
David Rutley Portrait
David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 11th May 2023

Since Mr El-Fattah's sentencing in December 2021, there have been numerous representations by the UK Government including seeking consular access and his release, in both London and Cairo. The Prime Minister raised Mr El-Fattah's case during his meeting with President Sisi during COP 27 and the Foreign Secretary raised the case on several occasions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry, most recently on 2 March. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has raised the case several times with the Egyptian Ambassador, most recently on 23 February and also raised it with Foreign Minister Shoukry during his visit to Cairo on 4 April.

Ministers and officials are in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities in London and through our Embassy in Cairo. We continue to seek consular access and call for his release at the highest levels of the Egyptian Government. We are providing consular support to his family. The Foreign Secretary and Lord Ahmad jointly met Mr El-Fattah's family on 6 February, and most recently, Lord Ahmad met Mr El-Fattah's mother on 5 April, during his visit to Cairo.

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