Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah says he may die in prison

British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has warned his family that he could die in prison.

“I don’t want to upset you, but I don’t believe there’s any chance of individual salvation,” he told his mother during her visit to Wadi al-Natrun prison, according to The Guardian. 

He also passed her a list of demands, which includes the release of those who have been detained by Egypt’s security forces. 

Abd El-Fattah has been on a hunger strike for nearly six months. 

La petizione per Alaa Abd El Fattah tocca 148 mila firme, Liz Truss che aveva promesso di farlo scarcerare ora è primo ministro. Ma lui è ancora in carcere, e digiuna da 160 giorni. Per unirvi alla staffetta di digiuno solidale scrivete a info@invisiblearabs.com. #freeAlaa pic.twitter.com/AQlEbwr6cn

— Marina Petrillo (@alaskaHQ) September 8, 2022

A figurehead of the Egyptian 2011 uprising against then-president Hosni Mubarak, he has been imprisoned by the Abdel Fattah el-Sisi government on and off for the past decade.

Last year, he was sentenced to prison on terrorism charges for posting about torture on social media. 

The 40-year-old became a British citizen last year, but British officials have been prevented from visiting him in jail. He has been on a hunger strike for more than 160 days. 

The news comes as Egypt prepares to host the Cop27 climate conference in the resort city of Sharm El Sheikh in November.

Cairo is undermining environmental groups in the run-up to the conference, according to a Human Rights Watch report published on Monday, effectively preventing them from criticising the government’s environmental record. 

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has presided over almost a decade-long crackdown against dissidents and government critics, detaining tens of thousands of people including journalists and human rights activists.