Organizations call for Alaa Abd El-Fattah to be released

Civil society organizations from different parts of the world appeal to the Egyptian government to release the activist

In a document addressed to the government of Egypt, 120 civil society organizations call for the release of the human rights activist, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who is also a writer and one of the best known dissident voices in Egypt.

In April 2022, he went on a hunger strike in a plea for his release. The strike only ended in November. However, on 6 November, the date of the start of COP 27 in Egypt, Alaa started refusing to drink water. 

• Read more: Liberdade para Alaa

The organizations, among them Conectas, are appealing to the Egyptian authorities “to immediately release Alaa Abd El-Fattah and all those imprisoned or detained solely for exercising their rights”.  Alaa Abd El-Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison for organising a protest without authorisation. Since his imprisonment in 2014, activists around the world have been putting pressure on the country´s authorities to release the defender.

Over the years, activists have denounced that Alaa has been held in solitary confinement and that he is not allowed to read books. In addition, he has been the target of fresh allegations and is now also being held for ´insulting judiciary”. The trial for this new case had been scheduled for 30 September, but was postponed until December.