UK urged to help free British-Egyptian ‘arrested in Cairo over sister’s activism’
Lawyers claim Eman el-Shazly, from Birmingham, was detained in effort to silence her sister, a critic of Sisi regime The UK Foreign Office has been asked to intervene to secure the release of a British-Egyptian woman who it is claimed has been arrested in Cairo because of her sister’s political activism. Eman el-Shazly, a 45-year-old based in Birmingham, was arrested on 16 August while visiting…
A British-Egyptian woman named Eman el-Shazly, who is based in Birmingham, has been arrested in Cairo on 16 August, reportedly in an attempt to silence her sister Mona, a critic of the Egyptian government. Eman's lawyers claim that she was detained while visiting Egypt in order to put pressure on her sister, whose YouTube channel features harsh criticism of the government.
Eman's two brothers, Hassan and Eid, have already spent three years in jail and were rearrested in May, facing charges of promoting terrorist ideas and broadcasting false news harmful to state security. The UK Foreign Office has been asked to intervene to secure Eman's release, as her case has been given the same file number as her two brothers.
The UK government has recognized the practice of "punishment by proxy" in Egypt, where family members of critics living abroad are targeted.
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