Urge your MP to help free Alaa and Mehran
Alaa Abdel Fattah and Mehran Raoof are two British nationals unjustly imprisoned in Egypt and Iran respectively. For years, they have been detained, often held in terrible conditions and missed by their loved ones. The UK government must do everything in its power to help secure their release.
Alaa's Story
Alaa, a British National, is a writer and a father of a young son who was born while Alaa was in prison. Alaa advocated for human rights in Egypt, and has been unjustly imprisoned since 2019 for his human rights work. In 2022, Alaa’s family staged a protest outside Government buildings in London and Alaa went on hunger strike to protest both his detention and the UK government’s lack of action to secure his release.
To urge the UK Foreign Secretary to ramp up the pressure on the Egyptian authorities, we need MPs to demand action.
Mehran’s Story
Mehran Raoof, a British national and a labour rights activist, is unjustly imprisoned in the notorious Evin prison. Revolutionary Guards agents arrested him on 16 October 2020 and he was placed in solitary confinement.
In August 2021, Mehran was sentenced to ten years and eight months on national security-related charges after a grossly unfair trial. Amnesty considers him a prisoner of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally.
To urge the UK Foreign Secretary to ramp up the pressure on the Iranian authorities, we need MPs to demand action.
For more background information click 'read more'
Background Information
In March 2022, after negotiations between Iran and the UK, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori, two British nationals arbitrarily detained in Iran’s Evin prison - after ten years in prison combined - were allowed to return home to the UK, and be reunited with their families, who were waiting for them when they landed.
Although their release was celebrated, Mehran Raoof and Morad Tahbaz were left behind.
More recently we celebrated Morad’s release, on 18th September after nearly six years in Evin prison as part of a wider prisoner-swap deal arranged by the US authorities.
However, Mehran was once again left behind.
We have been campaigning for the UK Government to do everything in its power to help free Mehran and Alaa, but the UK Government is still needlessly keeping family members in the dark, and being too passive.
The UK government must do everything in its power to ensure Mehran and Alaa’s immediate and unconditional release and commit to developing and implementing a coherent and effective approach for ending arbitrary detention of British nationals overseas to prevent other British nationals being detained.
How to write to your MP ✍️
We have drafted a message for you to send to your MP calling on them to; write to the Foreign Secretary; and support a debate in Parliament.
Steps:
- Find your MP's email address here
- Write a message using the template letter we have prepared for you (unless your MP is Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Constituency: Richmonds (Yorks)), Andrew Mitchell MP (Constituency: Sutton Coldfield), Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP (Constituency: Berwick-upon-Tweed), Lee Docherty MP (Constituency: Aldershot), David Rutley MP (Constituency: Macclesfield), in which case scroll down to the second letter below….)
- Add these details to the letter:
- Your address, postcode and contact details
- Date
- Name of your MP
- Your name at the bottom
4. Send ✅
If your MP is the Prime Minister or a Minister in the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office…
If your MP is any of those outlined below, our demands are about the specific action they can take and so we have a different letter you can send them.
If your MP is:
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Constituency: Richmonds (Yorks)
Andrew Mitchell MP (Constituency: Sutton Coldfield)
Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP (Constituency: Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Lee Docherty MP (Constituency: Aldershot)
David Rutley MP (Constituency: Macclesfield)
Please send them this letter instead.