The family of imprisoned Egyptian dissident Alaa Abdel Fattah, who is refusing food and water, on Wednesday demanded information about his health amid “rumours of force-feeding”.
International concern has grown since Abdel Fattah, 40, escalated his months-long hunger strike by also reducing fluids since Sunday, the start of Egypt-hosted UN climate change summit COP27.
His British-born mother, Laila Soueif, has made daily trips to Wadi al-Natroun prison, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Cairo, this week but has received no update or proof of life.
The activist’s sister, Mona Seif, said her mother was back in jail Wednesday “to try and get a letter or anything that proves Alaa is alive, conscious and has not faced any further ‘violations’.” “.
The dissident’s aunt, writer Ahdaf Soueif, tweeted that “we can’t explain two days without letters” and said the family was concerned by “rumours of force-feeding and sleeping pills”.
She demanded that the British-Egyptian activist be transferred to Cairo’s largest state hospital, Qasr al-Aini University Hospital, and given access to lawyers and British embassy officials.
Abdel Fattah, a longtime democracy and rights activist, is serving a five-year sentence for “spreading false news” for sharing a Facebook post about police brutality.
The United Nations, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have all expressed their concern and called for his release.
The only update in recent days came from Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the President of COP27.
Shoukry told several media outlets at the summit that Abdel Fattah – whose dual citizenship Cairo does not recognize – has access to “all necessary supplies in prison.”
Macron, after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday, said he had received assurances that Cairo “is committed to ensuring that ‘Abdel Fattah’s health’ is preserved” and that the situation “will be resolved in the coming years.” weeks and months” is solved.
But Soueif, the aunt, said that “the prison hospital is probably not equipped to treat the rare case of a patient who has lived on 100 calories a day for six months” during his hunger strike.
COP27 activists have been widely posting on Twitter using the hashtag #FreeAlaa, and several speakers have ended by saying “They Haven’t Been Defeated Yet” – the title of the jailed activist’s book.
Human rights groups estimate that some 60,000 political prisoners are being held in Egypt, many in brutal conditions and overcrowded cells, allegations Cairo has denied.
