UK – Independent, May 21, 2025
MPs and peers have pressed for the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who has been on hunger strike for more than 80 days.
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged by 100 MPs and peers to “deploy every tool” available to help free a jailed British citizen on hunger strike for more than 80 days.
A letter from the parliamentarians sent to the Prime Minister warns the case of Alaa Abd El-Fattah is at a “vital stage” and a resolution is required to protect his health and that of his mother, who has also stepped up her long-term hunger strike.
British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Mr Abd El-Fattah, 43, has been detained in Egypt since September 29 2019 and, in December 2021, was sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of spreading false news.
The cross-party group of MPs and peers argue Mr Abd El-Fattah is a “political prisoner” who should have been released once his five-year period of being detained ended in September 2024.
