UK – Fair Square, November 05, 2024
15 British, Egyptian and international organisations have called on UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to put a hold on any new economic or financial partnerships with Egypt, unless and until British national and writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah is freed.
The British government has been seeking Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s release since 2022 but on 29 September, when his five year sentence came to an end, the Egyptian authorities did not release him, refusing to consider the two years he spent in pre-trial detention as “time served”. The FCDO states that the Egyptian government “does not recognise Mr El-Fattah as a British national”.
Meanwhile Egypt is vigorously pursuing new investments and financial support from the UK. On 3 October, the Egyptian Prime Minister’s office announced that he had discussed with British ministers the idea of an UK-Egypt investment conference to “pump British investments”. The UK is the largest single foreign investor in Egypt, and the annual trade between the two countries is around £4.5 billion.
In a joint letter sent on 1 November, the organisations called on David Lammy to, “insist that Alaa be released before there can be any further discussion of closer economic ties. This would send a powerful message to the Egyptian government that their mistreatment of a British national is hampering the normal course of economic cooperation and the closer partnership that Egypt is pursuing, and would create an incentive to Egypt to resolve the case.” In opposition, David Lammy was a strong supporter of the campaign for Alaa’s release, and called for the previous Conservative government to progress the case by using the “tremendous leverage” of Britain’s large trading relationship with Egypt.
