Politicians have written to the international secretary urging him to restrict the UK’s engagement with the upcoming COP27 local weather summit in Egypt till its authorities frees a pro-democracy activist.
British-Egyptian Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been in jail for nearly a decade and was sentenced to 5 years final December after being accused of spreading false information.
Egypt continues to disclaim consular entry to him, and he has been on starvation strike for greater than six months.
Hollywood stars together with Dame Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, Mark Ruffalo and Carey Mulligan have joined the marketing campaign for his launch, together with British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who met his sister, Sanaa, as she holds a sit-in protest exterior the Foreign Office in London to deliver consideration to her brother’s plight.
She stated her brother was “losing hope that the British government intends to do anything to save him”.
Now, 67 MPs and friends have written to James Cleverly, to “strongly encourage [the Foreign Secretary] to make clear to your Egyptian counterparts that Britain’s engagement with COP27 will be seriously undermined by the continued mistreatment of one of its citizens”.
In the letter, signed by politicians on all sides, they name for “urgency”, writing: “Alaa’s life is at severe threat. He is out of hope and has been on starvation strike since 2 April 2022.
“Since 26 May, he has been consuming 100 calories a day – a teaspoon of honey and a bit of milk is all that has been keeping him alive.
“Today he’s on day 189 of his strike. He could not dwell for for much longer.”
The signatories say COP27, as a consequence of begin in Egypt on 6 November, “will be a moment of intense public scrutiny” for Egypt, they usually urge Mr Cleverly to make use of the chance to safe Abd el-Fattah’s freedom.
Sky News has contacted the Foreign Office for a response.
Source: information.sky.com”