Campaigner Richard Ratcliffe defends calls to release Alaa Abdel Fattah

Activist's comments 'indefensible' but human rights apply to all, says husband of former hostage

British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah embraces his mother and sister after he was released in September. AFP

The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has defended his earlier calls to release British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah despite “horrible and indefensible” social media posts that came to light last week.

Richard Ratcliffe, who spent six years campaigning for his wife’s release from an Iranian prison, said human rights are “not like Father Christmas’s presents”, adding: “You don’t just get them if you are good.”

Mr Abdel Fattah, 43, had been in Egyptian prisons several times in the last 10 years while campaigning for political reform in public and on social media. He was released after six years of detention in September.

But after flying to Britain last week, where his arrival was welcomed by the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, past social media posts emerged which caused a public outcry. Mr Abdel Fattah's historic tweets dating back to 2010 called for Zionists, police and white people to be killed, described British people as “dogs and monkeys”, and urged Londoners to burn down Downing Street.

Richard Ratcliffe's wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was jailed in Iran. Getty Images

In an email exchange with the PA news agency, Mr Ratcliffe said he did not regret backing calls to free Mr Abdel Fattah despite the activist’s previous posts on social media. That is in contrast to many British politicians, including Mr Starmer, who have expressed regret and embarrassment at supporting him.

The UK's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper ordered an urgent review after “serious information failures” led to Mr Abdel Fattah being allowed into the country despite posting anti-Semitic and anti-British tweets. The government claims that successive prime ministers were not briefed on the historic tweets and civil servants in charge of the case were also unaware of them.

Mr Abdel Fattah has since apologised “unequivocally” for past social media posts, but said they had been used out of context to question his “integrity and values”. He said on Monday that it had been “painful to see some people who supported calls for my release now feel regret for doing so”. He insisted they had “done the right thing” before in calling for his release.

Announcing the investigation, Ms Cooper said current Labour and former Conservative ministers “were never briefed on these tweets” and civil servants in charge of the case “were also unaware”.

“I take this extremely seriously, both to ensure we have accurate information and because of the deep distress this has understandably caused,” she said in a letter to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday night. “It is clear that this has been an unacceptable failure and that long-standing procedures and due diligence arrangements have been completely inadequate for this situation.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer had tweeted his “delight” after the activist arrived in Britain last week, only for his official spokesman to express regret days later at Mr Abdel Fattah’s “abhorrent” social media posts.

Mr Abdel Fattah flew to the UK on Boxing Day and was reunited with his son, who lives in Brighton, on England's south coast, after a travel ban was lifted. He was granted UK citizenship in December 2021 under the Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson, reportedly through his British-born mother, Laila Soueif.