The British government is facing calls to urgently intervene in the case of a Muslim mother-of-four from Birmingham who has been detained in Egypt amid allegations she is being targeted because of her sister’s opposition to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government.
Eman Saber Eid Elshazly, 45, was detained by Egyptian security authorities on August 16 while visiting the country and is currently being held at the 10th Ramadan Rehabilitation Centre.
Lawyers representing the family say there are serious grounds to believe Eman’s detention is linked not to any political activity of her own, but to the activism of her UK-based sister, Mona el-Shazly, an outspoken critic of the Egyptian government.
Eman has now reportedly been added to the same Supreme State Security case as two of her brothers, Hassan and Eid, who were arrested in May.
Her family maintains that Eman is not politically active and had travelled to Egypt approximately two months before her detention primarily to care for her elderly and unwell mother following the arrests of her brothers.
According to her husband, Zeesharn Moustapha, Egyptian police or security officials visited the family home where Eman was staying only days before her arrest.
He says the officers told Eman to instruct Mona to stop publishing material critical of the Egyptian authorities.
Eman reportedly told them that she was no longer in contact with her sister.
Days later, she was detained.
Held under state security case
On August 18, Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered Eman to remain in detention for 15 days pending investigations in Case No. 4489/2026 — the same case involving her brothers Hassan and Eid.
The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) says Eman faces allegations of using a social media account to promote the ideas of a terrorist organisation and spreading false news and statements deemed harmful to public security and order.
During questioning, investigators reportedly presented Eman with printed documents which she denied having any connection to.
Her brothers are facing substantially similar accusations.
The family’s lawyers argue that the circumstances surrounding Eman’s arrest raise serious concerns over whether she is being individually investigated or instead punished because of her sister’s political activism abroad.
Allegations of ‘punishment by proxy’
The case comes against a wider documented pattern of allegations that Egyptian authorities have targeted relatives of dissidents, journalists and human rights activists living outside the country.
Mona el-Shazly’s family has previously faced arrests linked to similar security cases.
Human Rights Watch has previously highlighted the detention of Hassan and Eid in 2020 while documenting what it described as Egyptian authorities targeting family members of activists and government critics based overseas.
A UK government country report published earlier this year also cited allegations of Egyptian authorities arresting, intimidating or harassing relatives of critics living abroad — a practice described by sources as “punishment by proxy”.
Hassan and Eid previously spent almost three years in pre-trial detention before eventually being released.
They were arrested again at their home on May 19 this year and subsequently placed in the same Supreme State Security case in which Eman is now being detained.
Lawyers at Rashid Law say the family’s previous history, the alleged warning issued to Eman shortly before her arrest and her subsequent inclusion in the same case as her brothers collectively raise serious questions about the grounds for her detention.
Family fears for Eman’s welfare
Moustapha has launched an online fundraising campaign seeking £9,000 to help cover legal representation, professional fees, travel and other costs associated with efforts to secure his wife’s release.
He said Eman’s family remained deeply concerned about her safety and wellbeing and was urgently seeking legal and consular support.
“We are simply asking for Eman’s safety, her rights to be respected, and her safe return home,” he said.
Moustapha described the ordeal as an extremely distressing period for the family, saying the absence of clear information surrounding his wife’s situation was increasing their fear and uncertainty.
Pressure on UK government
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has opened a consular case after Egyptian authorities confirmed to British officials that Eman is being held at the 10th Ramadan Rehabilitation Centre.
The British Embassy in Cairo has formally requested access to visit her, with consular officials seeking to assess her welfare and speak to her privately if permission is granted.
Eman’s lawyers are calling on the UK government to secure immediate consular access, ensure she has access to independent Egyptian legal representation and pressure the authorities to disclose the specific evidence being used against her.
They have also urged ministers to consider escalating the matter through senior diplomatic channels, including potentially involving the UK’s envoy responsible for complex consular detention cases.
The legal team says Britain should press for Eman’s release if Egyptian authorities cannot demonstrate credible individual evidence against her or guarantee proper due process.
While Egyptian authorities have confirmed where Eman is being detained, there has so far been no substantive public response to allegations that her arrest is connected to the political activities of her sister.
For Eman’s family, the central concern remains securing access to her and bringing the Birmingham mother safely home.
