58th session of the UN Human Rights Council begins today  

25 human rights organisations have written to the UK Foreign Secretary urging a ‘strong stand’ for Abd El-Fattah

British national Abd El-Fattah has still not been released after serving an unjust 5-year prison sentence

His 68-year-old mother has been on hunger strike for over 4 months in a desperate appeal for her son

The UK must use the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) as an opportunity to lead calls for the release of British national and human rights defender Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a coalition of 25 organisations have said, in a letter sent to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy this week.

The letter - which was organised by FairSquare and signed by 25 leading human rights organisations including Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, the Egyptian Front for Human Rights and PEN International – urges the UK Foreign Secretary to make a “strong stand” by leading on a joint statement at the HRC, calling for the urgent release of Abd el-Fattah.

In the letter, the organisations note how the HRC offers an opportunity for states to “make a strong statement condemning Egypt’s ongoing repression”, adding that the Egyptian authorities continue to “crush dissent and stifle civil society, arbitrarily arresting thousands in recent years, including journalists, opposition politicians…and peaceful protesters”. 

In urging the Foreign Secretary to make a stand for Abd el-Fattah’s release, the organisations say:

“We remain deeply concerned that Alaa Abd el-Fattah still has not been released after completing his unjust five year prison term in September 2024, particularly given the terrible and urgent risk to the life and health of his 68-year-old mother Laila Soueif, who has been on hunger strike since then.

“We believe that a UK-led joint statement at the Council would send a powerful message about the importance of Alaa’s emblematic case, and the necessity for Egypt to resolve this immediately, by releasing him so that he can be reunited with his son.”

The 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place in Geneva from Monday 24 February to Tuesday 4 March.