British-Egyptian political activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, imprisoned in Cairo for over five years, has reached a breaking point, revealing in personal letters that he has considered renouncing both his British and Egyptian citizenships due to UK inaction in securing his release.
A Growing Sense of Despair
Fattah’s letters, shared with permission from his family, highlight his waning hope in the UK’s efforts to secure his freedom. His 68-year-old mother, Laila Soueif, has been on a 122-day hunger strike, losing 21kg in protest outside Downing Street after believing that the Foreign Office lacks the necessary leverage to intervene.
The letters reveal his initial optimism when Labour’s David Lammy was appointed foreign secretary, but that hope quickly faded. In an August letter to his aunt Ahdaf, he wrote:
“I saw David Lammy finally, an impressive man. Of course, we previously had a foreign secretary who looked big and impressive, so I know that’s not the measure of anything. I just thought I’d grab any reason to feel some optimism.”
However, by September 29, upon realizing he would not be released despite completing his five-year sentence, his tone shifted:
“I don’t understand how my spirit will tolerate us going into a new form of illegal incarceration… Let’s see what the prosecutor-general of Egypt will say and what the intentions of His Majesty’s new government are.”
Pressure on the UK Government
The UK government’s inability to gain consular access to Fattah has drawn criticism from human rights advocates. Last week, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy reportedly pressed the Egyptian government for his release, and UK envoy to the UN Simon Manley publicly condemned Egypt’s practice of rotating detainees in pre-trial detention.
Despite these diplomatic efforts, Fattah believes only Prime Minister Keir Starmer can elevate his case to the level needed for action. In December, he reflected on Starmer’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, questioning whether the Prime Minister was even aware of his plight:
“I wonder if he’s paying any attention to me. If they don’t want to or don’t care to argue about a consular visit, then one can’t look to them for a release, because it means they basically don’t recognize me as a citizen.”
His growing frustration led him to suggest that renouncing both his nationalities might be his only option:
“So probably the next step is to give up both nationalities and live without either (optimistic, of course, since this assumes life in some future stage).”
A Year of Injustice and Small Moments of Reflection
In his New Year’s Eve letter, Fattah reflected on the passage of time in prison:
“Of course, the fact that a whole year has passed under these conditions does not engender optimism or inspire hope. But, anyway, let’s hope it will be a good year for Syria and lighter on the Palestinians.”
On January 6, he described how he marks time in his solitary cell by observing a trio of cats:
“Their dramas used to be teenage dramas; we weren’t part of them, but they happened around us. Now they come back hungry or hurt or sick or withdrawn or emotional—adult dramas that happen outside our cell so we no longer really understand what’s going on.”
International Calls for Action Intensify
With diplomatic efforts stalled, human rights organizations and supporters continue to demand stronger action from the UK government.
For now, Fattah remains behind bars, caught in a system that has extended his imprisonment beyond his original sentence—with no clear path to freedom in sight.
