Amnesty warns jailed Egyptian activist may die during COP27

Amnesty International's Secretary General Agnes Callamard said on Sunday that the upcoming COP27 international climate change summit could be marred by Egypt's human rights failures.

She warned that prominent activist Alaa Abdel Fattah — who has spent most of the past decade in jail for his activism — had only 72 hours to live after Fattah escalated his long-running hunger strike by also refusing water.

"If they do not want to end up with a death they should have and could have prevented, they must act now," Callamard told reporters in Cairo.

Calls for Fattah's release

Egypt's hosting of the COP27 summit, which will take place in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, has brought more attention to the plight of activists and protesters who have faced heavy repression at the hands of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

In the run-up to the summit, Egypt released over 750 political prisoners according to Amnesty, but at the same time, the government has come under fire for restricting protests and stepping up surveillance.

Fattah's fate has become a rallying point for human rights groups and activists.

His sister Sanaa Seif, also an activist who was imprisoned for a year, has been putting pressure on the UK government to ensure his release after he acquired British citizenship through his mother, an Egyptian professor who was born in London.

The family released a letter from UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday which said Sunak will "continue to stress to President [el-Sissi] the importance that we attach to the swift resolution of Alaa's case and an end to his unacceptable treatment."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is in Egypt for the COP27 summit, on Tuesday added his voice to those urging Fattah's release.

"There must be a decision — his release must be possible so that this hunger strike does not end in death," said Scholz. The chancellor described the situation as "very depressing," adding that "we should be afraid that this could lead to dreadful consequences."

Why is Fattah in prison?

Fattah has been on a partial hunger strike since April 2, consuming only 100 calories a day.

The 40-year-old activist played a prominent role in the Arab Spring protests in Egypt which led to the downfall of then-president, Hosni Mubarak, in 2011.

Since then, he has been repeatedly arrested. His most recent detention began in September 2019 when he was jailed for allegedly joining a terrorist group and disseminating false news. He was later sentenced to five years in prison.

Amnesty has reported that Fattah is being held in "inhumane conditions," being denied both a bed as well as exercise time in the prison yard.

Human rights organizations have called on world leaders to use the opportunity of the COP27 summit to put pressure on the Egyptian government.

Cairo is a key ally of Washington and also enjoys deep economic ties with European countries.

ab/dj (AP, dpa)