UK – The Guardian, December 09, 2024
Writers JM Coetzee, Annie Ernaux, Kazuo Ishiguro and Olga Tokarczuk are among the laureates imploring the prime minister to act on behalf of the British Egyptian political prisoner
A group of Nobel laureates have written to the British prime minister Keir Starmer urging him to intervene to help free the imprisoned writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah.
Twelve laureates including JM Coetzee, Annie Ernaux, Kazuo Ishiguro and Olga Tokarczuk have signed the letter.
“We write to you as long concerned supporters of the imprisoned writer, Alaa Abd el-Fattah,” the letter begins. “We write to you because time is running out.”
“For over 10 years now Alaa has been punished by the Egyptian military regime for his writings, for his exposure of military killing of civilians, for his theoretical work on constitutions and the law, for his acerbic wit on social media,” it continues.
