British Muslim Mother of Four Begs for Help After Travelling Abroad to Visit Family but Ends Up in a Situation That Has Left Her Family Terrified

The UK government is being urged to step in over the case of a British Muslim mother of four who has been detained in Egypt. Her family and lawyers believe she may have been targeted because of her sister’s strong criticism of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his government.

Eman Saber Eid Elshazly, 45, from Birmingham, was arrested by Egyptian security officials on August 16 while she was visiting the country. She is currently being held at the 10th Ramadan Rehabilitation Centre.

Her lawyers at Rashid Law say there are “compelling grounds” to believe Eman’s detention could be linked to the political activities of her sister, Mona el-Shazly, who lives in the UK and is a well-known critic of the Egyptian government.

The lawyers say Eman has been placed in the same Supreme State Security case as two of her brothers, Hassan and Eid, who were arrested in May.

Eman had travelled to Egypt about two months before her arrest mainly to look after her elderly and unwell mother. She had made the trip after her brothers were arrested. Her family says Eman is not involved in politics and has never been politically active.

Her husband, Zeesharn Moustapha, said Egyptian police or security officials visited the family home where Eman was staying only a few days before she was arrested. According to him, the officers told Eman to ask her sister Mona to stop publishing material that criticised the Egyptian government.

Moustapha said Eman told the officers that she was no longer in contact with her sister. A few days later, she was detained.

On August 18, Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered Eman to remain in detention for 15 days while an investigation continued. Her case is listed as Case No. 4489/2026, which is also being used in the case involving her brothers Hassan and Eid.

The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) says Eman has been accused of using a social media account to promote the ideas of a terrorist group. She is also accused of spreading what authorities describe as false news and statements that could harm public security and order.

AFTE said investigators showed Eman printed documents during questioning, but she denied having any connection with them. Her brothers are facing similar accusations.

The case has raised further concerns because of what has happened to Eman’s family in the past.

Human Rights Watch previously reported on the arrests of Hassan and Eid in 2020. The organisation said their cases were part of a wider pattern in which Egyptian authorities were accused of targeting family members of activists and human rights campaigners living abroad.

A UK government country report published in March this year also recorded allegations that Egyptian authorities have targeted, arrested and harassed relatives of critics, journalists and human rights activists who live overseas. Some sources have described this practice as “punishment by proxy”.

Hassan and Eid had previously spent almost three years in detention while waiting for their cases to progress before they were released. They were arrested again at their home on May 19 this year and placed in the same Supreme State Security case in which Eman is now being held.

Eman’s lawyers say the history of the family, the alleged warning she received about her sister shortly before her arrest, and the fact that she was later placed in the same security case as her brothers all raise serious questions about why she was arrested.

Meanwhile, Eman’s husband has started a fundraising campaign to help with the legal costs of trying to secure her release.

The GoFundMe campaign is aiming to raise £9,000. The money is expected to help pay for lawyers, professional fees, travel and other costs connected with the effort to bring Eman home.

Moustapha said the family was extremely worried about Eman’s safety and wellbeing and was urgently looking for both legal and consular help.

He said the family was simply asking for Eman to be kept safe, for her rights to be respected and for her to be allowed to return home.

He also described the situation as an extremely painful and frightening time for the family. He said that every day without clear information about Eman’s situation was making their fear and uncertainty worse.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has opened a consular case concerning Eman. Egyptian authorities have confirmed to British officials that she is being held at the 10th Ramadan Rehabilitation Centre.

The British Embassy in Cairo has formally asked Egyptian authorities for permission to visit Eman. British consular officials want to check on her welfare and, if possible, speak with her privately.

Her lawyers are calling on the UK government to secure immediate access to Eman. They also want the government to make sure she has independent legal representation in Egypt and push Egyptian authorities to explain what specific evidence is being used against her.

They have also asked the UK government to consider taking the case to senior Egyptian officials through diplomatic channels. This could include involving the UK’s envoy who deals with difficult cases involving British citizens detained overseas.

The lawyers say the British government should also seek Eman’s release if Egyptian authorities cannot provide credible evidence against her and cannot show that proper legal procedures have been followed.

Egyptian authorities have confirmed where Eman is being held, but there has so far been no reported detailed response from the Egyptian government to the allegation that her arrest may be connected to her sister’s political activities.