Alaa Abdel Fattah: Jailed activist 'alive', tells family drinking water again

Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah started drinking water again on Saturday, according to a letter he sent to his family.

Abdel Fattah, who is detained in Egypt on political charges, escalated his hunger strike on 6 November when he abstained from water on the day the UN climate change conference COP27 opened in the country's Sharm El-Sheikh resort city.

The Egyptian British dissident, 40, told his mother in a letter dated Saturday and received Monday he'd started drinking water again.

His sister Sanaa Seif said: "Today is the first day I've been able to take a proper breath in 8 days.

"Since COP27 began and Alaa went on water strike we've been asking every day for… proof of life. Now we know he's alive. I'd know his handwriting anywhere.

"But when I read it again and again it leaves me with more questions. Why have they been refusing his lawyer access to him, even with a permit?

"Why did they hold this letter back from us for two days? Is it just cruelty to punish the family for speaking up?"

I'm so relieved. We just got a note from prison to my mother, Alaa is alive, he says he's drinking water again as of November 12th. He says he'll say more as soon as he can. It's definitely his handwriting. Proof of life, at last.
Why did they hold this back from us for 2 days?!

— Sanaa (@sana2) November 14, 2022

In his letter, Abdel Fattah said: "This will be a short letter and the long letter will be the day of the provisions."

He asked his mother to bring an MP3 player when she visits.

Abdel Fattah added: "Vital signs today are OK. I'm measuring regularly and receiving medical attention."

The family received his letter the day after his lawyer Khaled Ali said he was prevented from seeing the activist in prison, despite prosecution authorities giving him authorisation.

 

 

 

 

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Ali was also stopped from visiting him on Thursday, again despite approval from officials.

That same day, prison authorities told his mother he had "undergone a medical intervention with the knowledge of a judicial authority".

Abdel Fattah has been on hunger strike in Egypt for over 200 days to protest the conditions of his detention.

His family has fought hard to secure his freedom, and UN human rights chief Volker Türk last week urged Abdel Fattah's "immediate release".