Egypt: Jailed Activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah Ends Hunger Strike

Facts

• The family of imprisoned Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah announced on Tuesday that he wrote a letter to them stating that he had broken his months-long hunger strike despite not being released.¹
• His sister Mona Seif has shared this letter — the second received by his family in two days — in which el-Fattah affirmed that he would explain everything to his family in their monthly visit to the Wadi el-Natrun on Thursday.²
• The activist, who turns 41 on Friday, also expressed his desire to celebrate his birthday with his family and cellmates and asked his family to 'bring a cake.'³
• This comes days after his family was told by Egyptian authorities that el-Fattah had 'undergone a medical intervention' and his lawyer was barred from visiting him — prompting fears that he was being force-fed or placed on intravenous drips against his will.⁴
• El-Fattah, who was a key figure in Egypt's 2011 revolution has been imprisoned for much of the time since. He started a partial hunger strike in April to protest his detention conditions consuming only 100 calories a day.³
• Earlier this month, he ramped up his hunger strike and stopped drinking water as world leaders convened in Egypt for the COP27 climate forum.⁵

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²France24, ³Guardian, ⁴BBC News and ⁵CNN.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Al Jazeera. This is a political persecution of a man who exercised his basic right to free speech and advocated for social reform. As a result, his life is now in great danger. Egyptian authorities need to release him immediately and ensure he receives medical attention.
• Narrative B, as provided by EgyptToday. The UN and other countries must stop meddling in Egypt's internal affairs based on false information about this case. The findings against El-Fattah have been made in line with Egypt's laws — the due process must continue.