Egyptian prison authorities have intervened to keep hunger striking activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah alive, his cousin told POLITICO. The family were told of the intervention at about 12:30 p.m. Central European Time.
“About an hour ago a prison officer told his mother they have medically intervened,” said Omar Hamilton, who is the editor of a book written by El-Fattah.
Hamilton said El-Fattah’s lawyer had been granted access to the imprisoned man, although the visit had not yet taken place. The news comes after days of the family not knowing whether El-Fattah was still alive.
El-Fattah, who has been on a hunger strike since April, stopped drinking water on Sunday — the day the U.N. COP27 climate talks commenced.
U.S. President Joe Biden is set to visit the talks tomorrow and has said he would join the leaders of France, Germany and the U.K. in raising El-Fattah’s detention with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
“Everything sort of hinges on what [Biden] does or doesn’t do in the three hours that he’s there,” said Hamilton.
Egypt’s repressive government has come under the spotlight while hosting the climate talks.
