Skip to main content

To: Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

Keep Fatima Naoot Out Of Prison

In a recent Facebook post, the writer and poet Fatima Naoot criticized the annual slaughter of animals at a religious festival. The fact that she is facing a three year prison sentence as a result of her post is a disgrace.
Philip Hammond, in your capacity as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, please do all you can to persuade President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that Fatima Naoot should not be imprisoned. He has an opportunity to show the rest of the civilized world that Egypt does not muzzle free speech. Please intervene and help call a halt to this potential miscarriage of justice.

Why is this important?

Fatima Naoot's case should never have made it to court. It suggests the state is turning a blind eye to the advocates of religious extremism.
As for the nature of the religious festival Fatima criticized - I won't upset you with the details. But if you want further information, Google the following:

Eid al-Adha animal sacrifice

More info here: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-courts-poet-idUSKBN0L121M20150128
Egypt

Maps © Stamen; Data © OSM and contributors, ODbL

Updates

2016-02-23 09:31:10 +0000

Thanks to all who have signed this. There's another petition that is taking off faster than mine. Please take a moment to add your name to that one, too.

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/The_Egyptian_President_alSisi_Freedom_for_the_poet_Fatima_Naoot/?fXpNPab&pv=9

Many thanks. John Ravenscroft

2016-02-17 14:20:02 +0000

17/02/2016

As 38 Degrees is a UK based organization, I've been advised to change the petition recipient to Philip Hammond, UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

2016-02-17 13:11:57 +0000

50 signatures reached

2016-02-17 08:52:14 +0000

Thanks to the 44 people who have signed in the first few hours. We need many more. If you haven't shared already, please do so. Fatima has done nothing to deserve a prison sentence - she simply wrote a Facebook post that criticized the religious slaughter of animals.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/egyptian-writer-fatima-naoot-gets-3-year-sentence-insulting-islam-1540503

2016-02-16 20:57:55 +0000

25 signatures reached

2016-02-16 19:34:07 +0000

10 signatures reached