Abd el-Fattah has been on hunger strike for more than six months and told his family just before the start of the UN climate conference that he would go on a water strike on Sunday. His letter from prison would show proof of life on his second day without water, after more than six months without more than 100 calories a day. His mother, Laila Sweif, “is still waiting since morning in front of the prison for a letter from Alaa,” his sister Mona tweeted late in the afternoon. “There is still no sign that can tell us that he is okay, not in hospital, let alone alive,” he said. He later added that Swaif continued to wait long after dark and “the prison is locked, no service left, nothing.” As world leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh to begin negotiations to combat the growing climate crisis, Abd el-Fattah’s case loomed large during the proceedings despite efforts by Egyptians principles to distract from the human. recording rights through its role as a host. Pressure has mounted on Sunak to fulfill his pledge to Abd el-Fattah’s family to solve the case, even as observers worry that his efforts may not be enough to save the imprisoned activist. James Lynch, a former British diplomat and head of human rights group Fair Square, who traveled with Abd el-Fattah’s younger sister Sanaa Seif to Cop27, said: “I think it’s very clear that many people, including very high levels within the British government are personally invested in this case and see the injustice, the need for a solution, and are working very hard. However, there is a gap here that remains – we still don’t know if it becomes clear that this case could have consequences for business as usual relations with Egypt.” Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s foreign minister, who also chairs Cop27, dismissed questions from CNBC about the potential impact Abd el-Fattah’s case could have on the conference, as well as relations with Britain. “I think we all need to focus on the work at hand, which is the priorities as they relate to climate change. We have deep bilateral relations with the UK,” he said. Pressed on whether Abd el-Fattah’s possible death could overshadow proceedings, he replied: “I am confident that the prison authorities will provide the health care, the care that is available to all prisoners.” He added that Egyptian authorities have yet to recognize Abd el-Fattah’s dual citizenship, after the democracy activist acquired British citizenship last year through his mother while incarcerated. Abd el-Fattah is a figure in Egypt’s 2011 uprising whose writings on protest, technology and democracy have influenced a generation across the Middle East, even though he has spent most of the last decade behind the scenes. the bars. Last year, he was sentenced to another five years in prison for sharing a post on social media about torture. He went on hunger strike in April to protest his detention conditions, which include efforts by Egyptian authorities to prevent British officials from visiting him. Abd el-Fattah is one of about 65,000 political prisoners in Egypt’s labyrinthine detention system, which has also witnessed multiple high-profile deaths in custody due to medical negligence, including of foreign nationals. Another of his sisters, Sanaa Seif, also arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday morning after completing a sit-in outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London to demand urgent action to save her brother. “Prime Minister Sunak sent me a powerful letter over the weekend,” he said. “I think he intends to do everything he can to save Alaa. we put our hopes in him. I really believe that if he makes this an urgent political priority, my brother will be on the next flight to London.” Sunak told Saif in a letter published a day earlier that he was “absolutely committed” to solving the case, which he described as “a priority for the British government both as a human rights defender and as a British citizen”. Sunak’s spokesman said he met the Egyptian president on Monday and stressed “the UK government’s deep concern about this matter”. “The prime minister has said he hopes to see this resolved as soon as possible and will continue to push for progress,” he said. Leeds pointed to other cases in which the British government had succeeded in freeing citizens held abroad by making it clear that the detention could affect the bilateral relationship. “That could be happening [here] in private, but it certainly doesn’t happen in public,” he said. The UK is Egypt’s largest private trading partner, through fossil fuel giant BP and telecoms company Vodafone. Britain has also sold Egypt at least £24 million in arms over the past three years, according to the Campaign Against the Arms Trade group, while British International Investment, the development arm of the FCDO, recently pledged more than £87 million in investment to Egypt shortly before Cop27. Abd el-Fattah’s case is already being referred to Cop27 despite the efforts of Egyptian officials. Tasneem Essop, head of Climate Action Network International, used her plenary address in the Cop27 room to highlight Egypt’s crackdown on civil society and the case of Abd el-Fattah, saying: “Alaa Abd el- Fattah, the Egyptian prisoner of conscience, has escalated his hunger strike that began more than 200 days ago. He has stopped drinking water. His life is now in serious danger. We demand his immediate release and the release of all prisoners of conscience.”
