On Friday, the mother of imprisoned political activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, Laila Soueif, called on the UK government to urge Egypt to release her son in a meeting with James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the UK. Soueif, who is visiting London, also spoke to the British House of Commons on Abdel-Fattah’s case. She also met with Tariq Ahmad, Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the United Nations. Her meeting with Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon lasted for about 45 minutes. He told her that Abdel Fattah’s case was at the top of the agenda of British officials in their meetings with the Egyptian authorities.

“James Cleverly and I met yesterday with Laila Soueif and Mona Seif to discuss the continued detention of their son and brother Alaa,” he tweeted. “His release remains a priority for the UK government. We will continue to call on the Egyptian authorities for as long as necessary.” Soueif spoke about a relative improvement in the conditions of Abdel Fattah’s imprisonment, noting that this does not negate the fact that some arbitrary measures are still in place.