The mother of the jailed British writer Aala Abdel Fattah, Laila Soueif, will hand-deliver a copy of the human rights activist’s acclaimed book to 10 Downing Street on Thursday 28 November (11am) as part of the family’s campaign to secure Abdel Fattah’s freedom from prison in Egypt.

Abdel Fattah, 43, a prominent blogger and writer, has been in detention in Egypt since September 2019 and has already served a five-year jail sentence on trumped-up charges of “spreading false news” after a grossly unfair trial.

His family have been told he will not be released until January 2027, as the authorities refuse to count the time he previously spent in pre-trial detention as part of his prison sentence.

Last month, the activist’s highly-regarded book - You Have Not Yet Been Defeated: Selected Works 2011-2021 - was republished in a special edition by Fitzcarraldo Editions. The book, with a foreword by Naomi Klein, comprises a selection of Abdel Fattah’s speeches, interviews, social media posts and essays since Egypt’s revolution in January 2011, many written from his jail cell.

Laila Soueif is hand-delivering the book to No10 with an appeal to the Prime Minister to reinvigorate UK diplomatic efforts to secure Abdel Fattah’s freedom. Soueif will be accompanied to No10 by Amnesty UK campaigners who will hand in a 14,000-name petition similarly calling on the Government to act on Abdel Fattah’s behalf. As part of the “Free Alaa” campaign, Amnesty has been calling on the Government to develop a coherent strategy in cases where UK nationals such as Abdel Fattah are arbitrarily detained overseas.

In June, Abdel Fattah’s family and Amnesty marked Father’s Day by unfurling a giant banner off Brighton Pier to draw attention to the activist’s links to Brighton, the city in which his young son lives. In October and November 2022, Abdel Fattah’s family also staged various protests outside the Foreign Office and Downing Street.

For years Abdel Fattah was held in deplorable conditions in detention in Egypt, and security officials subjected him to torture and other ill-treatment. In May 2022, following a public outcry, he was transferred to Wadi al-Natroun Prison where his health and detention conditions improved. However, it was only recently that the authorities allowed him access to reading materials, as well as television and written correspondence.

Event details

What: book and petition hand-in with Laila Soueif and Amnesty UK campaigners

Where: 10 Downing Street, London SW1A 2AA

When: Thursday 28 November 2024, 11am; duration approximately 15 minutes