British mother of four held in Egyptian prison sparks plea to UK leaders

Eman el-Shazly, a British mother of four, was taken by Egyptian security forces on 17 August during a trip to Cairo and placed in a maximum-security facility, where she has been held for six weeks without access to a lawyer. Her husband, Zeesharn Moustapha, believes the detention is linked to social-media videos posted by her sister Mona that criticize the Egyptian government, and he warns that his wife faces a “kangaroo court”.

The family launched a petition last week and asked Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to use their influence to secure her release. Their children, three sons and a daughter, are beginning the new school year without their mother, describing the situation as traumatizing. Additional relatives have also been arrested on similar charges, and the FCDO has confirmed it is in contact with Egyptian authorities about the case.