THE Archbishop of York became the latest Church of England bishop to meet and pray with the family of Layan Nasir on Sunday, the young Anglican who is enduring a third spell in an Israeli jail (News, 10 October).
Ms Nasir, who is 25 and part of the congregation at St Andrew’s, Birzeit, has twice been imprisoned under “administrative detention” without any charges being laid against her. She was held for several months in 2021, and last year was imprisoned for a further eight months (News, 13 December 2024).
Charges were only brought against her in September this year, when she was convicted in absentia (News, 19 September). They relate to her involvement, in 2020, with a student organisation which was subsequently declared unlawful by Israel. Supporters have characterised her work with the group as helping new students to get cheaper stationery, and organising hikes.
Her sentence was expected to start in November, but less than a month after her conviction she was detained during a routine court appearance. Her parents, priest, and lawyer have not been permitted to speak to her since her incarceration.
Shortly before Archbishop Cottrell arrived, the family heard that Ms Nasir’s lawyer had been granted permission to see her on Tuesday. The only contact they have had with their daughter in the past month was when another detainee was released who was permitted to report that Ms Nasir was in good health, and helping her fellow prisoners.
Andrea Krogmann, the office of the Archbishop of YorkThe Archbishop of York and Mrs Cottrell (on his right) with members of Layan Nasir’s family
Her parish priest, Fr Fadi Diab, said that, by law, he should be permitted to visit her, but that he has not received a response to his application. A request for her to be allowed to serve her sentence in community service with the church was rejected.
Archbishop Cottrell and his wife Rebecca sat with Layan’s parents, Lulu and Sami, at their home in Birzeit, sharing coffee and homemade cakes.
It was “an honour” to meet and pray with the family, Archbishop Cottrell said. “In their ongoing struggle for justice, we pray for Layan’s safety, and for her release back to her life and family.”
He pledged to light a candle for her and her family in the chapel at Bishopthorpe Palace, emulating the Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani. She kept it lit through Ms Nasir’s previous incarceration, and relit it when she was sentenced and taken into custody in September. Ms Nasir’s provisional release date is in March.
“I hope that when she is released she will be able to get on with her life as a sweet young lady,” Mrs Nasir told the Archbishop on Sunday.
