Dear Friends,

Momentum is building. More than 100 Members of Parliament & Peers from across the political spectrum have signed a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy urging him to #FreeAlaa: 

"We are deeply concerned that any British citizen should be treated this way. We urge you to use all the diplomatic means at your disposal to secure his release & allow him to be reunited with his son Khaled who lives in Brighton where he attends a special educational needs school”

The letter is the largest intervention by MPs about Alaa’s fate since Labour came to power. 

The cross-party group of MPs and peers includes Conservatives such as Iain Duncan Smith and Lady Warsi, the former party chair who recently resigned the whip. The former Labour Middle East minister Lord Hain is also a signatory.

Today, Laila, Alaa's mother entered her 78th day of hunger strike. Laila is 68 and has lost 22kg. She waited outside Foreign Office building for news about Alaa in the cold this morning: 

“Unless there is a material change in my son’s circumstances, and I do not mean a temporary one, I will continue with this hunger strike. I have only my body left to secure his release.”

The Guardian has the full story. 

As always there are ways you can help: click here to write to your MP and share the link with everyone you know - the pressure is working, we have to keep going. 

We'll continue to do our best to bring you updates - 

The #FreeAlaa Campaign