Alaa Abdel Fattah is a
British-Egyptian writer, human rights defender and software developer.
He was one of the leading voices and campaigners during the 25 January
2011 revolution. He has been published in numerous outlets; is
well-known for founding a prominent Arabic blog aggregator; and has been
involved in a number of citizen journalism initiatives. His book, You Have Not Yet Been Defeated, which compiles some of his deeply influential writings, has received widespread acclaim.
Alaa has been arrested under every Egyptian head of state
during his lifetime. He is currently in detention following an unfair
trial on spurious charges that relate to his human rights advocacy. On 2
April 2022, Alaa embarked on an open-ended hunger strike as a last bid
for freedom. After more than 200 days of partial hunger strike, Alaa announced that,
as of 1 November 2022, he is stopping his previous 100-calorie intake
and moving to a full hunger strike. Alaa also decided that on 6 November
2022, coinciding with the beginning of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt,
he will start a water strike. This means that if he is not released,
Alaa will die before the end of COP27.
“If one wished for
death then a hunger strike would not be a struggle. If one were only
holding onto life out of instinct then what’s the point of a strike? If
you’re postponing death only out of shame at your mother’s tears then
you’re decreasing the chances of victory….I’ve taken a decision to
escalate at a time I see as fitting for my struggle for my freedom and
the freedom of prisoners of a conflict they’ve no part in, or they’re
trying to exit from; for the victims of a regime that’s unable to handle
its crises except with oppression, unable to reproduce itself except
through incarceration” - Alaa wrote in a letter to his family announcing escalation of his hunger strike.
On 31 October 2022, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment said, “In
advance of COP27, I am joining the chorus of global voices calling for
the immediate release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, an Egyptian activist who
has languished in jail for years merely for voicing his opinion. Freedom
of speech is a prerequisite for climate justice!”
We, the undersigned organisations and groups:
Call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Alaa Abdel Fattah and all those arrested and detained solely for exercising their rights
Call on the British authorities to
intervene to secure the release of their fellow citizen Alaa Abdel
Fattah so that he be allowed to travel to the UK, as his health is
deteriorating to a critical and life-threatening point
Call on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to publicly reiterate its
call on Egypt to immediately release Alaa Abdel-Fattah, Mohamed
el-Baqer, and all those arrested and detained solely for exercising
their rights
Call on UN Special Procedures to publicly reiterate their
call on Egypt to immediately release Alaa Abdel-Fattah, Mohamed
el-Baqer and Mohamed “Oxygen” Ibrahim Radwan and all those arrested and
detained solely for exercising their rights
Call on all government leaders and business leaders going to COP27 to use all possible leverage and urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Alaa Abdel Fattah and all those arrested and detained solely for exercising their rights
Call on civil society organisations, groups and activists going to COP27 to urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Alaa Abdel Fattah and all those arrested and detained solely for exercising their rights
Background information about the case available here.
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