Lord Collins of Highbury, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4287):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to prioritise the case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah during the forthcoming visit of the Foreign Secretary to Egypt, and whether the Prime Minister plans to meet his mother, Laila Soueif. (HL4287)
Tabled on: 22 January 2025
Answer:
Lord Collins of Highbury:
The UK remains committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah’s release so he can be reunited with his family. We continue to prioritise Mr El-Fattah’s case in our engagement with the Egyptian government. This includes the Prime Minister writing to President Sisi on multiple occasions, most recently on 8 January, and the Foreign Secretary repeatedly raising this case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, including most recently on 23 January in Cairo. The National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, also raised this case with the Foreign Minister on 2 January. The Foreign Secretary met Mrs Laila Soueif on 27 November 2024, and the Minister for the Middle East spoke with Mrs Laila Soueif on 24 December 2024 by telephone. FCDO officials remain in regular contact with the family to check on their welfare.
Date and time of answer: 04 Feb 2025 at 16:51.
