UK urged to halt investment projects with Egypt until Alaa Abd el-Fattah freed
International organisations have urged UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to hold off on any new economic partnerships with Egypt until British-Egyptian writer and political prisoner Alaa Abd el-Fattah is freed.
The request, made in an open letter from 15 British, Egyptian and international organisations, comes as Egypt is pursuing new financial investments from the UK, the largest single foreign investor in Egypt.
Last month, the Egyptian prime minister’s office announced that discussions were held with British ministers about a possible UK-Egypt investment conference to “pump British investments”.
The organisations, including The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy and FairSquare, asked the UK government to make it clear to Egyptian authorities that Abd el-Fattah must be released "before any consideration will be given to new economic or financial partnerships with Egypt".
"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," they wrote.
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While in opposition, Lammy was a strong supporter of the campaign for Abd el-Fattah's release, calling on the previous Conservative government to use the leverage it had from the UK's trading relationship with the country.
"You have previously advocated the use of realist means to pursue progressive ends in foreign policy. We urge you to consider such a strategy to secure Alaa’s release," the groups wrote.
Abd el-Fattah helped lead the 2011 uprising in Egypt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, and has been repeatedly imprisoned over his activism.
He was arrested once again in 2019 and sentenced in December 2021 to five years for supposedly spreading false news that undermined national security.
While in prison, he obtained British citizenship through his mother, the rights activist and mathematician Laila Soueif.
He was due to be released on 29 September, but the Egyptian government refused to release him.
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