Egyptian prominent activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, a key figure in the country’s 2011 revolution, declared an open-ended hunger strike in prison last Saturday, his sister Mona Seif revealed.
Abdel Fattah, 40, was detained in 2013 and sentenced last December to five years in prison after he was convicted of “broadcasting false news” over retweeting about a political prisoner who was tortured to death in prison.
His sister affirmed on her Twitter account that Abdel Fattah is on hunger strike since 1st day of Ramadan (April 2, 2022).
Today was Alaa’s visit, he told me he is on hunger strike since 1st day of Ramadan, Saturday, and returned all food we brought him. Only took medication, tea and personal hygiene products, she said in a tweet.
His mother, Laila Seif, also affirmed that he declared a hunger strike in protest against his difficult detention conditions.
“He refuses to eat, because his prison conditions must change,” she said, adding that her son has been placed under “heavy supervision, in solitary confinement”.
“He is not allowed books or exercise, and this prison is known for not respecting any laws,” she continued.
Abdel Fattah was arrested more than once, most recently was in September 2019 only six months after his last release where he was held for five years for “broadcasting false news.”
Political Prisoner Subjected to Brutal Assault
Along the same line, the family of the prominent opponent and former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh announced that he was physically assaulted by an officer in the Tora Farm Prison on March 23.
The family “strongly condemned the barbaric assault he was subjected to” in prison, “holding the Egyptian regime fully responsible for his life and his physical and psychological safety,” noting that he suffers from different health problems.
Rights groups affirmed that Egypt is holding more than 60,000 political prisoners amid brutal conditions and overcrowded cells.
