We know when we come together, with one voice, it can have a huge impact -  like in 2022, when, after a global campaign for their freedom, wrongly imprisoned British nationals Anoosheh Ashoori and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe were finally released.

But many others are still behind bars, and facing roadblocks on their path to freedom. This isn’t right.

For example, Mehran Raoof was imprisoned in Iran for advocating for workers' rights, while Alaa Abdel Fattah was imprisoned in Egypt simply for using his voice to champion justice. Both wait in arbitrary detention. The sooner the UK government acts, the sooner they can be reunited with their loved ones.

The root problem is the UK government's failure to take urgent action and their inconsistent approach to these cases. Right now there is a clear absence of a coherent strategy to support individuals or deal effectively with such cases. As a result, people are losing precious time with their families, their hopes of watching their children grow up are becoming further out of reach, their health is deteriorating, and they are being subjected to inhumane treatment while being unjustly detained.

The solution is this: the UK government must protect UK nationals by developing a clear strategy to support individuals arbitrarily detained abroad and pave the path for their freedom. Individuals unjustly detained and their families have continued to persevere through the challenges of separation, striving for the day when they will finally be reunited.

Let's join them and demand action.