I’m writing to you about my brother, Alaa Abd el-Fattah. He’s been called the ‘voice of a generation’ for his writings about democracy and his vision for a democratic future in the Middle East. He has been in prison for eight years now - his most recent sentence was for five years for sharing a Facebook post about a prison conditions in Egypt - and we are terrified that he will die in there unless we get him out soon.

Alaa is imprisoned in Egypt - but he is a British citizen. Our mother was born in London in 1956, while her parents, our grandparents, were doing their PhDs.

I've started this petition because I believe that if enough people demand it, the UK can bring Alaa home. He is an Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience, an Honorary Member of English PEN and dozens of UK MPs have called for his release. We just need the UK government to be firm in their negotiations.

Alaa has been tortured and held in terrible conditions. For years he was not allowed time out his cell, to know the time of day, access to any information about the outside world at all. For a writer, imprisoned for his ideas, this was a cruel torture.

He is father to a ten year old son, Khaled, and has missed most of his life. 

As people around the world have campaigned for his release, his conditions have improved a little. But Egyptian authorities are denying him visits from British embassy staff.

The UK's then Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, told parliament on June 27th she was “working to secure his release.” Please join us in asking her and the new Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to work as hard as they can. Alaa has been on hunger strike since April and we are in fear for his life every day.

There is precedent of dual nationals being freed from Egypt to France, the USA and Canada - so we know that the UK government can bring Alaa home: they just has to know how many people care.

I believe you would love Alaa’s work - (if you haven't read him already a whole collection of his work was published in English last year called YOU HAVE NOT YET BEEN DEFEATED) - and that with your help, we can get him out, free and writing again soon.