Egypt: Alaa Abdel Fattah’s family anxious as release date nears

The family of detained British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has expressed hope but apprehension as his release date approaches, fearing another disappointment from authorities.

According to Abdel Fattah's UK-based family, the political prisoner is set to be released on 29 September, having nearly completed five years behind bars in Egypt, which is the length of his sentence.

However, his family fears that - as with previous announcements and rumours of his release - Abdel-Fattah will not be freed.

"Of course, throughout all these past years, I’ve trained myself not to think that anyone is getting released until they actually do. But this time, I can’t stop thinking about the date," his mother, Laila Suief said in a video statement posted on X.

"I can’t stop thinking that Alaa is supposed to be released. Alaa has been in for five years, before that, there were six months probation, and before that, there were five years in prison."

Alaa Abdel Fattah - a key figure in the 2011 revolution that toppled Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak - was given British citizenship in 2022 through his British-born mother.

The pro-democracy and rights campaigner is serving a five-year prison sentence for "spreading false news" by sharing a Facebook post about police brutality.

His family further expressed mixed reactions ahead of his release date, saying they are unsure of whether he will be freed from prison and don’t want to be too hopeful about it, fearing another soul-crushing disappointment by authorities.

"I don’t operate on hope or expectations. I go by what’s right. He’s supposed to be released, that’s his release date and he should be released. If he isn’t, it will be a violation, an assault and I will deal with it as such," his mother said.

Omar Robert Hamilton, Abdel Fattah’s cousin and an author, will speak at a Labour Party Conference in London on 24 September, where he will highlight Abdel Fattah’s continued imprisonment, his prospect of freedom under a Labour government, and share his family's experience under the previous UK Conservative government.

Last year, an excerpt of a letter shared by Abdel Fattah’s sister revealed that he has been kept in a "black abyss" for the past ten years.

"I live in this horrific dark space well before the [hunger and water] strike, and the black abyss has swallowed me ten years ago," read Abdel-Fattah's letter to his sister Mona Seif, an excerpt of which she shared on Facebook. 

Abdel-Fattah went on a hunger strike for nearly six months in 2022 over his detention and conditions in jail, escalating his protest by refusing to drink water during the COP27 UN climate summit between 6 and 18 November 2022.

The New Arab reached out to Abdel Fattah’s family but did not receive comment by the time of publication.

Rights groups estimate that about 60,000 political prisoners remain incarcerated in Egypt, many have suffered torture, abuse, and neglect of basic needs.