CPJ joins call for release of Egyptian journalist Alaa Abdelfattah as he escalates hunger strike

CPJ has joined more than 60 civil society organizations in a letter calling Egyptian authorities to immediately release British-Egyptian blogger and activist Alaa Abdelfattah after he announced that he will escalate his hunger strike in prison. 

Abdelfattah, imprisoned since 2019, began a hunger strike in April of no more than 100 calories per day, which resulted in the severe deterioration of his health. In a November 1 letter to his family, Abdelfattah announced that he will go on a full hunger strike, and on November 6, coinciding with the beginning of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27, in Sharm el-Sheikh, he will stop drinking water, the joint letter said. 

The letter also includes calls to British authorities, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, U.N. Special Procedures, government and business leaders, as well as civil society organizations, groups, and activists, to mobilize for Abdelfattah’s release. 

The full letter can be read here.