British man held in Egyptian prison


Abd El-Fattah remains in prison despite being unlawfully detained

June 2025

The case of the British citizen Abd El-Fattah is gaining more publicity and his mother, who has been on hunger strike for 245 days, has just been admitted to a London hospital as her medical condition is now critical. The Egyptian government has behaved atrociously throughout and has denied consular access to him in breach of the Vienna Convention. Appeals by the current and previous prime ministers and the Foreign Secretary have been ignored.

Mr Fattah’s ‘crime’ was to mention that someone was tortured in an Egyptian prison and his campaigning

for human rights in the country more generally. He established the Adalah Center for Rights and Freedoms. He is held in very poor conditions in Tora Maximum Security 2 Prison in Cairo (pictured). He is in an airless cell, denied a bed or mattress, not allowed to exercise and is not allowed books or other reading material.

Egypt continues to crush dissent and stifle civil society, arbitrarily arrests thousands including journalists, opposition politicians and peaceful protestors.

His case was debated in parliament in December last year initiated by John McDonnell MP. The Parliamentary Under Secretary John Falconer said:

I re-emphasise, both to Alaa’s family and to the House, that his release remains a priority for the UK Government. I recognise the profound impact that his imprisonment has had on him and his family. The Government, and I as the Minister responsible, are doing all we can to find a resolution. Our priority remains to reunite him with his family, and until that happens, we are working to ensure that he is allowed consular access and support. As I said earlier, supporting British nationals overseas is at the heart of our work at the Foreign Office. That includes dual nationals and more recent British nationals such as Alaa.

Amnesty and two dozen human rights groups have campaigned on his behalf but to no avail. There seems no likelihood of his release since sentences in Egypt are simply rotated. He has been incarcerated for 10 years now. Alaa is part of the Middle East problem more generally and Egypt is seen as important in the issues surrounding Gaza (on its border) and with Iran. The government has been urged to consider sanctions or tougher action but is clearly reluctant to do so. The current Labour government, with its emphasis on growth, is unlikely to take actions which would limit that. The result is that he remains in prison for the foreseeable future. We hope his 69 year old mother, Laila Soueif, survives her ordeal.

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Vigils: photo exhibition


Exhibition of photographs of the vigils held in Salisbury for peace in Gaza

June 2025

We have posted many times concerning the vigils held in Salisbury Market Place each Saturday at 5pm. Nearly 80 have now been held and there is a regular attendance of around 40 who attend and never less than 30. There is an exhibition of photographs of these vigils starting on 23 June and ending on 19 July at the Methodist Church in St Edmunds Street, Salisbury. They are available to view from 09:30 to noon and at other times when the church is open. We attach a flyer below and if you live in the Salisbury/South Wilts area we ask that you consider displaying it please.

The horror continues with the Independent reporting that 30 were killed by Israeli fire at one of the food points yesterday 31 May. Israel will not allow independent journalists into Gaza so claims are often hard to verify.

The current estimate is that 54,000 have now died in Gaza including many women and children.

Vigil poster 2025 copyDownload
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The vigils continue


As the horror in Gaza continues, so do the vigils in Salisbury. information about forthcoming film event

May 2025

Saturday 24th May was the 77th vigil to be held in Salisbury with a healthy attendance as is usual. It has been remarkable that up to 40 attend each week in this activity with no real organisation and very little promotion. There has been only one mention in the local paper and it is noteworthy that the local MP has never appeared nor mentioned the vigil in his weekly column courtesy of the Salisbury Journal: that is 77 vigils and no appearance.

A crucial element in the continuing death toll and destruction is the nature of the information which is being provided to the British people. A talk is being given on this very subject on 6 June entitled Censoring Palestine it will be on June 6th starting at 7 for 7:30 and is free with a parting collection. It will be at the United Reform Church, in Fisherton Street in Salisbury.

Poor information

There are many aspects to the poor information which the public is receiving about the conflict. These include:

  • A deep fear by the BBC in particular and the Labour Party more generally, about being labelled ‘anti-Semitic’. The Israeli government has waged a relentless and largely successful campaign to label any criticism of their actions as such and also being ‘pro-Hamas’. This is ironic since it was Netanyahu and others in his government who funded and supported Hamas in an attempt to weaken the PLO to stave off claims for a Palestinian state. In recent months, the BBC has begun to stiffen its coverage but it is refusing to broadcast the latest film on the area.
  • The Israeli government has prevented outside journalists from entering Gaza making objective reporting very difficult. Journalist who are there are subject to intimidation and 180 have been killed by various means. This has enabled claims that individuals are being used as ‘human shields’ by Hamas and that hospitals are ‘control centres’ for them, to justify the continued destruction of property and hospitals.
  • Very little evidence has ever been provided by the Israelis to demonstrate these claims. We have never been shown a ‘control centre’ despite the frequency of the claims as to their existence.
  • A successful campaign to establish as a supposed fact that all the recent events started on October 7th with the horrific attack by Hamas where 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage. Western media rarely mention 1948. Huge numbers of people in the UK are unaware of the ferocious assault on Palestinians which took place in 1948 and on into 1949. Between 750,000 and 1 million were forcibly displaced, thousands killed on the spot or made to walk huge distances towards Jordan or other parts. Village after village was destroyed. To read of the methods employed by the Stern Gang and Hagana in the clearing of vast areas of Palestinians is a distressing experience. Known as the Nakba, it is seldom referred to in our media leaving the overriding impression that recent events were all as a result of October 7th.
  • Biased language used to describe events. For example, Hamas seized 251 ‘hostages’ some of whom it still holds. In some of the exchanges which took place it is reported that Palestinian ‘prisoners’ were exchanged for Israeli ‘hostages’. The so-called prisoners however, were little more than hostages having been arrested without warrants by IDF personnel, never brought to court, not allowed legal representation, brutally tortured and moved from prison to prison in Israel. Quite what is the difference between a Hamas hostage and an Israeli prisoner? British media persist in this confusion of language. It has falsely given the impression of a terrorist group giving up hostages in exchange for individuals who have been through the court process for committing a crime

There are some welcome signs of change certainly on TV coverage. Channel 4 in particular and the BBC to an extent are beginning to devote longer chunks of time and to display the terrible carnage that is Gaza. Right wing media still persist, for example in the Daily Telegraph where we see the October 7th argument repeated again: “Lammy’s decision, therefore, to jump on the anti-Zionist bandwagon by suspending trade talks with Israel over its “intolerable” military operations in Gaza is entirely in keeping with his world view. Rather than condemning the real architects of Gaza’s misery, the Iranian-backed Hamas jihadis who started the conflict with their murderous October 7 assault on Israel.” Note ‘intolerable’ in inverted commas and criticism of Israel as ‘anti-Zionist’.

It will be interesting to hear of the views in Censoring Palestine on 6 June.

Below is a video of the 77th vigil and we are grateful to Peter Gloyns for permission to post it.

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Россия запрещает Амнистию


Russia bans Amnesty International

May 2025

The Prosecutor General’s Office announced on 19 May that Amnesty would be closed in Russia. It claimed it was ‘promoting Russophobic projects’ and that it was an ‘undesirable organisation’. Amnesty thus joins many other organisations both within Russia and outside which have been banned, marginalised or forced to toe the party line.

“You must be doing something right if the Kremlin bans you,” Amnesty International Secretary General

Agnès Callamard said in a statement. “This decision is part of the Russian government’s broader effort to silence dissent and isolate civil society.” Scores of activists and dissidents have been imprisoned, killed or exiled, where independent media has been smeared, blocked or forced to self-censor, and where civil society organizations have been outlawed or liquidated. Navalny was just one of many who tried to highlight the corruption which is rampant in the state and who died in questionable circumstances in a remote prison camp in February last year.

The closure will not hinder efforts to highlight the civil and human rights issues in Russia.

Picture – Prosecutor General, Moscow, kremlin.ru

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People in the Park


Successful day at this event in Salisbury

May 2025

Members of the group attended the People in the Park event in Salisbury last Saturday and reported a successful day with a lot of interest in human rights issues. This environmentally-focused community festival aims to showcase Salisbury’s green organisations, projects and businesses.

We had a petition on behalf of an environmental campaigner who has been imprisoned in Paraguay, a reminder that campaigners face real threats in some countries if they take on the powerful commercial companies who care little for the environment or indigenous peoples. The petition was willingly signed and we collected several pages. We also had a spinning wheel which stopped at a particular colour to which a question on human rights was posed. Many stopped to have a go.

We also had a handout on refugees a topic which causes great angst in the UK. The recent elections were heavily influenced by this issue and Reform won many seats promising to cure the problem. The Prime Minister was prompted to make a speech on the question which some have felt ill-judged. He said:

“Labour would “take back our borders” and warned that without tighter immigration controls, Britain risks “becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together””. (Leftfootforward.org)

It has been likened to the infamous ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech given by Enoch Powell in 1968 and has been widely condemned. We found our handout, which gave a more balanced view of the world wide nature of the problem, was taken willingly by passers-by. See also a monthly report we prepare.

Altogether, we came away pleased with the responses we received. This is always reassuring as there is considerable media invective directed against the Human Rights Act and recently, the European Convention. All our ‘Stop arming Israel’ stickers went and we ran out of leaflets.

Thanks to group members Andrew, Fiona, Val, Eddie and Peter who took part.

Sequence of photos: Amnesty

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Appeal case – arms to Israel


Update on the case from Amnesty and Human Rights Watch

May 2025

Amnesty has issued an update on this case which is currently before the Appeal Court. There is a video clip attached.

See also a post from Human Rights Watch;

“How could they have allowed that to happen? This is the question everyone asks, years later, when looking back at mass atrocity crimes in the past. Everything’s so clear when it’s described in history books – war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide…  

It’s not that these things aren’t clear at the time exactly. In fact, in recent decades, they have often been well-documented in excruciating detail more or less as they happen. Yet, somehow, when these things are unfolding in real time, some folks seem unable – maybe, more often, unwilling – to accept the evidence of their eyes and ears. Various considerations distract international leaders in particular: prejudices, alliances, politics…  

There can never be any justification for the worst kinds of crimes known to humanity, but that doesn’t keep leaders from trying to offer some. And with that, you move toward the future answer to the future question: The world at the time had leaders who refused to take a stand and defend humanity when it mattered most.  

Today, everyone can see Israel has been committing atrocities in Gaza during hostilities since October 7, 2023. We’ve seen systematic destruction of homes, apartment buildings, orchards and fields, schools, hospitals, and water and sanitation facilities. Israel has also openly used starvation as a weapon of war.  

These actions amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity including extermination, and acts of genocide. Now, the Israeli government’s latest plan has made its intentions even clearer. They want to demolish what remains of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure and concentrate the Palestinian population (about 2 million people) into one tiny area. 

Israeli government ministers couldn’t make things any more obvious. They say Israel is “finally going to conquer the Gaza Strip.” They threaten that Gaza will be “completely destroyed” and say its Palestinian population will “leave in great numbers to third countries.”  

Some Israeli officials say the Palestinian exodus will be “voluntary.” However, it’s hard to call it voluntary, when Israel has deliberately destroyed the area’s ability to sustain human life. 

If implemented, the plan would amount to an abhorrent escalation of extermination. In fact, Israel’s plan is so obviously extreme and has been made so extremely obvious, it should trigger international action under the Genocide Convention’s “duty to prevent.” 

The 1948 Genocide Convention is an international agreement that embodies the spirit of “never again.” It says a “duty to prevent” genocide arises as soon as a state learns, or should normally have learned, of a serious risk that genocide may be committed.  One hundred and fifty-three countries have signed up to the Convention. These include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. 

Yet, these are some of the very countries that have been supporting the government of Israel most throughout its carnage in Gaza, not least by continuing to provide Israel with weapons even after the atrocities were undeniable. 

Israel’s latest plan should finally, at long last, shake London, Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and Washington to their core. It should make them see beyond everyday politics, to their responsibility to humanity and history – and to their legal obligation to act. 

Without that, the question one day may indeed be, “How could they have allowed that to happen?” And everyone will know the answer.” Human Rights Watch

May 15th

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Arms to Israel: the Appeal starts


Appeal in the High Court over arms to Israel starts

May 2025

The appeal against a lower court’s decision on the question of the UK government’s decision to continue supplying arms to Israel started in the High Court yesterday, 13th May and is expected to last 4 days. The appeal has been brought by al Haq and supported by Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam and Global Legal Action Network.

The question of arms sales and sales to Israel causes difficulties for government since it is heavily invested in the trade. It actively supports the industry with arms fairs such as DSEI, with diplomatic support and sometimes members of royalty are deployed to cement relations particularly with the Gulf states. Many jobs depend on the industry. With current government desperate to promote growth, issues of morality and sales to unpleasant regimes are a less significant factor despite government protestations to the contrary. Over 52,000 have been killed in Gaza so far and a major build-up is being planned by the IDF.

Report issued

Meanwhile, a report has been issued and circulated by CAAT which has examined the UK’s exports of arms to Israel using Israeli tax records. Called Exposing UK Arms Exports to Israel it has been produced by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Workers for a Free Palestine and Progressive International. By examining the coding of the imports they are able to determine the nature of what we are exporting to Israel.

‘No observable decrease‘

Government ministers have claimed that ‘much of what we ship is defensive in nature’ (Hansard, 28 October 2024) and ‘no one would suggest we should not sell helmets or goggles to one of our closest allies‘ (Hansard 20 September 2024). However, the analysis shows however that 8,630 shipments have taken place in the category bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines and missiles. There have been 299 shipments of tanks and armoured vehicles. It notes that there has been no observable decrease in shipments since September 2024.

Of particular importance, and the matter which has received most attention, is the sale of F-35 parts. This aircraft is used to drop 2,000 pound bombs on Gaza causing indiscriminate destruction and death. The government could not stop these without causing a major upset with US partners. It would ‘undermine US confidence in the UK and NATO‘ the Defence Secretary said. The licensing restrictions should have led to a reduction in aircraft parts being sent to Israel. The report shows that parts are being sent from RAF Marnham to Tel Aviv airport. There does not appear to be any reduction in shipments. At the Appeal Court hearing, UK government lawyers will argue in court this week that preserving the British role in the F-35 jet fighter programme takes precedence over the need to comply with UK laws on arms export controls, or any UK obligation to prevent a genocide in Israel.

Questions for David Lammy

Selling arms seems to take precedence over other considerations. The oft-repeated statement that the UK has ‘robust controls’ seems at variance with the facts. It claims ‘the UK’s robust export licensing criteria states that the government will not issue export licences if the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law’. A report in the National (Scotland) said that 40 Labour MPs have written to the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, quoting the above report and claiming that he has misled the House. He has been challenged to come to the House of Commons and make a statement about his alleged false claims. Indeed he twice made those claims on the BBC Radio4 PM programme on 8 May and was fortunate that he was not challenged by Evan Davies.

Sources: BBC; CAAT; The Nation; Government statement (others in the text).

The Report can be read here:

REPORT-ExposingUKArmsExportsToIsrael-05072025Download
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Big increase in executions in Iran


This year has seen a further increase in executions in Iran

May 2025

The BBC reported that in 2024, 901 people were believed to be executed in Iran representing a 6% increase over 2023 when 853 were put to death. 31 were women. The chosen method is hanging often in public. The main reasons are murder, rape and drug crimes but also the vague ‘corruption on earth’ used to describe people opposed to he theocracy. Minority groups are also hard hit.

There seems no let up with 343 put to death in the first four months of this year representing a significant increase over the same period in 2024.

Iran joins other countries like China, North Korea and Vietnam which use the penalty extensively. Details of numbers are a secret in those countries. In China it is believed to be thousands. The killing spree has been widely condemned by a range of agencies.

Sources: BBC, Death Penalty Information Center, France 24, Amnesty International.

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People in the Park


Members of the group will be there on Saturday

May 2025

Members of the Salisbury group will be at the People in the Park event this Saturday 17th from around 10:00 and we would be delighted to see you. It would be a good opportunity to say hello if you are interested in joining us. To get an idea of what we are doing, have a glance at our last set of minutes and news. Look forward to seeing you there.

The following handout will be available.

Refugee factsheet March 2023Download
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The 75th Vigil


Strong support for the vigil continues

May 2025

We held our 75th vigil on Saturday 10 May and there were 40 in attendance: the numbers are steady with new people each week. The crisis in Gaza goes from bad to worse with huge parts of the area annexed by Israel. Over 52,000 are dead. We repeated the ‘pot’ theme to echo the scenes of people desperate for food after 70 days of the blockade. We shall be back next Saturday 17th.

Nakba Event 15 May

Salisbury Concern for Israel Palestine are holding an event this week to remember Nakda, when thousands of Palestinians were driven from their homes and villages in 1948. Join Team Nakba and SCIP as we reflect on the Nakba of 1948 and subsequent events in Israel/Palestine. With Canon Jonathan Herbert, Iman Mahmoud, Miranda Pinch, Hilary Bond and the Dean of Salisbury (representing all the Abrahamic traditions).

​Takes place in All Saints Church, Watersmeet Road, Harnham’ Salisbury, SP2 8JH

7.00pm for 7.30pm. Simple refreshments available and Zaytoun Fairtrade produce on sale​.

(Picture courtesy of Peter Gloyns)

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