UK Officials Urge Travel Warning for Egypt Amid Illegal Detention Claims

John Casson, former British ambassador to Egypt, has urged the UK government to update its travel advice to warn against travel to Egypt due to increased risks of arrest and mistreatment of British nationals. Casson described Egypt as a "police state" that is "violent and vindictive," highlighting the case of British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who has been imprisoned since 2019 on politically motivated charges. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has deemed Abd El-Fattah's detention illegal and politically motivated, citing lack of a fair trial and discriminatory treatment. Casson and other prominent figures, including Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws and Lord Hain, have called for the government to use all available tools to protect British citizens and to caution travelers about the dangers of visiting Egypt. They also criticized the Egyptian authorities for blocking the British embassy's ability to provide consular support to detained British nationals. This call for caution comes amidst concerns that Egypt's tourism-dependent economy should not overshadow the government's human rights abuses against British citizens.