Sunak 'hoping to meet' Sisi to help secure 'dying' Alaa Abdel Fattah's release

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is "hoping to see" Egypt President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on the sidelines of the COP27 climate summit to press for the release of imprisoned British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. 

Abdel Fattah, a British-Egyptian activist, began a water strike in jail on Sunday - the first day of the COP27 conference - demanding his immediate release.

There have been calls on the UK government by Abdel Fattah's family to use the conference to secure the activist and writer's immediate freedom, after three years in detention in Egypt.

"I am hoping to see President Sisi later today and I will of course raise this issue. It's something that not just the United Kingdom but many countries want to see resolved," Sunak told the BBC on Monday.

Abdel Fattah has been without water for over 32 hours and counting and has not eaten for nearly a week. 

Negotiating Abdel Fattah's release with the Egyptian president will be a major test of Sunak's diplomacy skills, after his appointment as PM just two weeks ago. 

Mona Seif, Alaa’s sister, said she is "watching the clock waiting for the meeting to happen" with fears he could die while the conference takes place.

"Alaa's life, all of our lives, hang in the balance. What Rishi Sunak says in that meeting, and what he demands will be crucial," she said. 

"If the Prime Minister pushes, if he's firm, if he uses leverage, then this saga could come to an end today. We're pinning our hopes on him. If Rishi Sunak steps up, we believe Alaa will be on the next flight to London."

Sunak, a former chancellor, has promised the imprisoned activist's family he would use the climate summit to put pressure on the Sisi regime to release him. 

"The UK's attendance at COP27 is another opportunity to raise your brother's case with the Egyptian leadership," said Sunak in his letter to Sanaa Seif, Abdel Fattah's sister. 

"The government is deeply committed to doing everything we can to resolve Alaa's case as soon as possible." 

Today’s meeting between the two leaders may reveal exactly how far the British government is willing to go to ensure Abdel Fattah's freedom.