The family of Egypt's most prominent imprisoned activist, Alaa Abdel-Fattah, is concerned for his health
According to his family, Egypt's most well-known imprisoned activist began a "complete hunger strike" on Tuesday and will stop drinking water on the opening day of the UN climate summit the following week.
Alaa Abdel-Fattah, an outspoken dissident and citizen of the United Kingdom, gained notoriety during the 2011 Middle Eastern pro-democracy upheavals that overthrew longtime President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. The 40-year-old activist's arrest has come to represent Egypt's return to autocratic rule because he spent the majority of the previous ten years in prison.
Abdel-family Fattah's has been advocating for his release as the world's attention turns to Egypt ahead of the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea. Sanaa Seif, his sister, has been organising a sit-in.
Sanaa Seif, his sister, has been holding a sit-in at the British Foreign Office to pressure the country. to act in his situation.
His other sister, Mona Seif, tweeted on Monday that Abdel-Fattah had stated in a letter to his family that he would begin the "complete hunger strike."
Abdel-family Fattah's is worried about his health because he has been on a partial hunger strike for months, consuming barely 100 calories each day. He added that he will likewise give up water on November 6, the opening day of the COP27.
The family, who corresponds with Abdel-Fattah via weekly letters and infrequent visits, claims it is concerned for his survival without water if he is not freed during the climate conference. The family will return on November 17th.
A request for comment on Tuesday did not immediately elicit a response from a government media representative in Egypt. Abdel-Fattah has been on a hunger strike, but officials have previously disputed this.
After being found guilty of participating in an unofficial protest and allegedly assaulting a police officer, he received his first sentence in 2014. After serving a five-year sentence, he was freed in 2019, but later that year he was detained again as part of a crackdown in response to unusual anti-government rallies.
His mother, Laila Soueif, a math professor at Cairo University who was born in London, revealed in April that he had acquired British citizenship through her. The family stated at the time that they wanted Abdel-Fattah to have a British passport as a method to get him out of his "difficult suffering."
President Abdel Fattah el-administration Sissi's has been mercilessly putting down dissenters and cracking down on independent organisations for years through arrests and limitations. The government is a U.S. ally with strong economic ties to European nations. Many of the leading activists from the 2011 revolt are currently behind bars, the majority as a result of a harsh law implemented in 2013 that virtually outlawed all street protests.
Egypt's human rights record has been under increased scrutiny before to the global climate summit, but many campaigners worry that once the conference concludes and world leaders go home, interest in Abdel-case Fattah's will subside.
In a video statement shared on social media, his sister Mona Seif stated, "He decided that if they're determined to keep him in prison forever, or until he dies, then at least he will define the terms of the battle and lead the attack." I'm unable to compel him to stop what he's doing.
Abdel-Fattah is a well-known blogger who comes from a line of authors, attorneys, and political activists. His late father was a tireless advocate for human rights in Egypt. His aunt is the celebrated novelist Ahdaf Soueif, and his sisters—who are also British citizens—are both political activists.
He received a second five-year sentence in December 2021 for allegedly distributing fraudulent information. In addition, he is accused of using social media improperly and affiliating with a terrorist organisation, a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, which the government designated a terrorist group in 2013.
