Democratic lawmakers press Egypt to release jailed activist
Fourteen US lawmakers are calling for the release of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a jailed activist on hunger strike in Egypt.
A group of Democratic lawmakers penned a letter Friday expressing solidarity with British members of parliament who are pushing Egypt to release Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a prominent activist on hunger strike who has spent most of the past decade in prison.
Abdel-Fattah was a key protest figure in the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. After spending more than two years in pre-trial detention, an emergency court handed Abdel-Fattah a five-year prison sentence in December 2021 for “broadcasting false news” following a trial that rights groups described as grossly unfair.
Abdel-Fattah is currently held at Egypt’s Wadi El-Natrun correctional facility. The activist has spent more than 100 days on hunger strike protesting his lack of consular visits and legal counsel.
“We urge the Egyptian government to heed your calls to immediately release Alaa and we stand ready to support your efforts,” the 14 lawmakers led by Congress’ Egypt Human Rights Caucus co-chairs Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) wrote in a letter to British House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.
