Take action

In solidarity with Laila Soueif

The Egyptian mathematician and activist Laila Soueif continues to struggle for the release of her two children. We call on our colleagues and on mathematical societies to support her and her children by writing, in your respective countries, to 

– your Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

– the Egyptian Embassy;

We invite you also to send messages to the Egyptian authorities, namely to 

– the Public Prosecutor’s Office;

– the Ministry of Justice;

– the Ministry of Higher Education;

– the Presidency.

Below the list of addresses you will find a sample message to the Egyptian authorities which you can use and edit if you wish.

Some Egyptian Embassies

  1. Embassy of Egypt in Washington, 3521 International Court, NW Washington, DC 20008, Phone: +202 895 5400, Fax: +202 2444319 or +202 2445131, Email: embassy@egyptembassy.net, http://www.egyptembassy.net/ Twitter: @EgyptEmbassyUSA 
  2. Embassy of Egypt in Brussels, Belgium, Phone: +32 26635820, Fax: +32 26755888; Email: embassy.egypt@skynet.be
  3. Ambassade d’Egypte à Paris, 56 rue d’Iéna, 75116 Paris, France, Tél : +33 1 53 67 88 30, Fax : +33 1 47 23 06 43, Email: egymissionfr@gmail.com
  4. Ambasciata della Repubblica Araba d’Egitto, Via Salaria, 267, 00199 Roma RM, Italy, Tel: +39 06844019, Fax: +39 068554424, Email: ambegitto@gmail.com 
  5. Embassy of Egypt in Madrid, Calle de Velázquez, 69, 28006 Madrid, Spain, Phone: +34 915776308, Email: consuladoegiptomadrid@gmail.com
  6. Embassy of Egypt in Berlin, Stauffenbergstraße 6-7, 10785 Berlin, Germany, Phone: +30 4775470, Email:consularsection@egyptian-embassy.de
  7. Embassy of Egypt, Switzerland, Elfenauweg 61, 3006 Bern, Switzerland; Phone: +41 (0)31 3528055,  Fax: +41 (0)31 3520625, email: embassy.bern@mfa.gov.eg, zusatzemail@gmail.com
  8. Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Email: mission.egypt@bluewin.ch

Egyptian authorities 

  1. President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Office of the President, Al Ittihadia Palace, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt, Fax: +202 23911441, Email: p.spokesman@op.gov.eg,  Twitter: @AlsisiOfficial
  2. President’s spokesperson media.office8@op.gov.eg, a.saeed@op.gov.eg
  3. Prime Minister, Mr. Mustafa Kemal Madbouly Mohamed, Email: pm@cabinet.gov.eg
  4. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Prof. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, 101 Kasr Elaini Street, Cairo Egypt, Phone : +202 27952155, Fax : +202 27941005, Email : khaled.abdelghaffar@mohe.gov.eg,  info@mohe.gov.eg 
  5. Minister of the Interior, Mr. Mahmoud Tawfik, Ministry of Interior, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt, Phone: +202 2794 5529, Email: center@moi.gov.eg, center@iscmi.gov.eg
  6. Minister of Justice, Mr. Omar Marwan, Lazoghli square, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt, Fax: +202 27958103 
  7. Deputy Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Human Rights, Mr. Ahmed Ihab Gamal Eldin, Fax: +202 2576 7967,  Twitter: @MfaEgypt   
  8. Head of the Egyptian Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, Email: humanrightscomplaints@parliament.gov.eg
  9. Public Prosecutor Mr. Nabil Sadek, Office of the Public Prosecutor, Al-Rehab, New Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt,  Fax: +202 2577 4716    https://www.facebook.com/ppo.gov.eg/ https://www.instagram.com/ppo.gov.eg/
  10. Director of Human Rights Department, Mr. Hany Georgi, Office of the Public Prosecutor, Al-Rehab, New Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt.

Sample message to the Egyptian authorities

Dear Sir/Madam/Minister/Counsellor/

I am writing this letter to express my solidarity with Egyptian mathematician Laila Soueif and her children Alaa, Mona and Sanaa Seif Abdel Fatah.

Alaa has been imprisoned without trial since September 2019, at a maximum security prison where he is denied basic rights such as exercise, books, newspapers or any kind of reading material.

On the 22nd of June 2020, Laila, Mona and Sanaa were physically assaulted outside the gates of the prison where Alaa is being held, as they staged a sit-in demanding to be allowed to receive a letter from him. Sanaa in particular was beaten viciously and injured. The next day when they went to report the attack, Sanaa was abducted by out-of-uniform police, and has since been held in prison. 

Laila and Mona are being smeared constantly in state-owned newspapers which routinely publish articles claiming they are foreign agents, terrorist sympathizers, etc.

We demand the release of Alaa Abdel Fattah and Sanaa Seif, an end to the harassment of Laila and her children, and an investigation into the violent attack on them that will identify those responsible and hold them accountable.

Yours sincerely,