Letter to Egyptian Government Press Office

Thursday 19th October, 2006
Cambridge, UK

Dear Sirs,

Bahaa el-Din Ahmed Hussein el-Akkad

I have read with concern at the website http://www.persecution.org/ that Mr el-Akkad has been held as a prisoner in an Egyptian prison for eighteen months, according to his lawyer “only because he has chosen a different belief, to be a Christian.”

People in the U.K. think of Egypt as a beautiful and historic nation with strong ties of friendship to ourselves.Your importance in the Arab and Muslim world is well known. It would come as a considerable and gravely worrying surprise to the British public if a man really could be imprisoned in your country simply for following his beliefs and his conscience.

I publish a blog in the U.K. and am involved with a new media organisation that is about to launch. I intend to write at length about Mr el-Akkad's situation and to bring it to the attention of the public and media more generally. But I hope that the report quoted above is in fact mistaken and would like to give you this opportunity to let me know the full story of this man, and indeed to deny the report if it is untrue.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Risdon.