Alaa Abd El-Fatah
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Alaa Ahmed Seif al Islam Abd El-Fattah (, ), known professionally as Alaa Abd El-Fattah (), is an Egyptian-British
blogger A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
,
software developer Software development is the process of designing and Implementation, implementing a software solution to Computer user satisfaction, satisfy a User (computing), user. The process is more encompassing than Computer programming, programming, wri ...
, and
political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...
. He has been active in developing Arabic-language versions of software and platforms. After a 2006 arrest by Egyptian police, El-Fattah was released without charge 45 days later. He was subsequently imprisoned in Egypt for organising a political protest without requesting authorisation, and released on bail on 23 March 2014. He was rearrested and ordered released on bail again on 15 September 2014, receiving a five-year sentence in February 2015, from which he was released in late March 2019. On 29 September 2019, during the
2019 Egyptian protests The 2019 Egyptian protests were mass protests in Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta and other cities on 20, 21 and 27 September 2019 in which the protestors called for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to be removed from power. Security forces responded ...
, Abd El-Fattah was re-arrested by the
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...
and taken to State Security Prosecution on unknown charges. He was subsequently convicted of "spreading fake news" and jailed for five years. In April 2022, he began a
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
. His family claims that his sentence should have ended on 29 September 2024 but the Egyptian authorities refused to free him, as the release date had been appointed in January 2027, based on the court’s decision not to include his served
pretrial detention Pre-trial detention, also known as jail, preventive detention, provisional detention, or remand, is the process of detaining a person until their trial after they have been arrested and criminal charge, charged with an offence. A person who ...
. On 30 September 2024, Abd El-Fattah's mother, Laila Soueif, began a hunger strike outside the
British Foreign Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreign an ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, remaining on strike , when she was joined by Australian journalist Peter Greste. In October 2024, Abd El-Fattah was named by
Arundhati Roy Suzanna Arundhati Roy (; born 24 November 1961) is an Indian author best known for her novel ''The God of Small Things'' (1997), which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. ...
, winner of the 2024 PEN Pinter Prize awarded by
English PEN Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associa ...
, as the "Writer of Courage" with whom she chose to share the prize.


Early life and education

Alaa Ahmed Seif al Islam Abd El-Fattah was raised in a family of well-known Egyptian activists. His father, Ahmed Seif El-Islam Hamad, a human rights attorney who had been arrested in 1983 by
State Security Investigations Service The State Security Investigations Service ( ) was the highest national internal security authority in Egypt. Estimated to employ 100,000 personnel, the SSI was the main security and intelligence apparatus of Egypt's Ministry of Interior (Egypt), ...
officers and tortured and imprisoned for five years, is one of the founders of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center. His mother Laila Soueif, the sister of the novelist and political commentator Ahdaf Soueif, is a professor of mathematics at
Cairo University Cairo University () is Egypt's premier public university. Its main campus is in Giza, immediately across the Nile from Cairo. It was founded on 21 December 1908;"Brief history and development of Cairo University." Cairo University Faculty of En ...
and a political activist. His parents' activism began in the
Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...
era. During a demonstration in 2005, his mother and other women were attacked by Mubarak supporters; Abd El-Fattah was said to have protected her. One of his sisters is Mona Seif, a founding member of "No Military Trials for Civilians", a group raising awareness for the civilian detainees summoned by military prosecutors and investigating torture allegations involving military police. His other sister, Sanaa Seif, is an activist and film editor who co-founded a newspaper about the Arab spring called ''Gornal''.


Software development and blogging

Abd El-Fattah has been active in developing Arabic-language versions of software and platforms. Abd El-Fattah co-founded with his wife Manal Bahey El-Din Hassan (daughter of activist Bahi El-Din Hassan), the Egyptian blog aggregator ''Manalaa'' and ''Omraneya'', the first
Arab Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
blog aggregators that did not restrict inclusion based on the content of the blog. In 2005, the ''Manalaa'' blog won the Special
Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...
Award in
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...
's Best of Blogs competition.


Political activism and arrests

Abd El-Fattah has been questioned, arrested, and detained on several occasions. He was arrested on 7 May 2006 when demonstrating for an independent judiciary, and was released on 20 June 2006. On 30 October 2011, he was arrested for inciting violence at the 9 October Maspero clashes, and was released on 25 December 2011. On 26 March 2013, he was arrested for inciting aggression during a protest outside
Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...
's headquarters, known as the Mokattam Clashes of March 2013 but was later acquitted on all charges. Two days later, on 28 March 2013, he was arrested and charged for torching former presidential candidate
Ahmed Shafik Air Marshal Ahmed Mohamed Shafik ZakiAlso spelled: ''Shafiq''. (, ; born 25 November 1941) is an Egyptian politician and former presidential candidate. He was a senior commander in the Egyptian Air Force and later served as Prime Minister of ...
's campaign headquarters on 28 May 2012, and received a suspended one-year jail term. On 28 November 2013, he was arrested for rallying, inciting violence, resisting authorities and violating the Anti-protest Law after a demonstration against military trials for civilians outside
Shura Council In Arab culture, a Majlis-ash-Shura (; Shura Council in English) is an advisory council or consultative council. In Islamic context, the Majlis-ash-Shura is one of two ways that a khalifa (Islamic leader) may be selected, the other way being b ...
building on 26 November 2013. He was initially released on 23 March 2014, after 115 days in detention. In June 2014, he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison and detained again awaiting his retrial, during which time he went on a hunger strike. He was rearrested on 15 September 2014, and released on bail. In 2021, an collection of his writings — some smuggled out from his jail cell — translated into English by anonymous supporters, was published under the title '' You Have Not Yet Been Defeated''. It has a foreword by
Naomi Klein Naomi Klein (born May 8, 1970) is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker known for her political analyses; support of ecofeminism, organized labour, and criticism of corporate globalization, fascism and Criticism of capitalism, ca ...
. In July 2022, an Arabic translation of the book was published by Jusur, a Lebanese publishing house based in Beirut, under the title ''Shabah' Al-Rabea'.'' During his two-month detention in 2011, his son Khaled was born, and during his three-month detention in 2014, his father Ahmed Seif El-Islam Hamad died.


May 2006 arrest

On 7 May 2006, Abd El-Fattah was arrested during a peaceful protest after he called for an independent judiciary. His arrest, along with that of several other bloggers and activists, spurred solidarity protests by others around the world, some of whom created the blog "Free Alaa" devoted to calling for his release from jail. Abd El-Fattah was released on 20 June 2006, after spending 45 days in jail. His wife Manal was quoted by the London ''
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
'' as saying: "There's no going back now, we'll definitely be continuing our activities."


2011 revolution and arrest

According to Egyptian newspaper ''
al-Ahram Weekly ''Al-Ahram Weekly'' is an English-language weekly broadsheet printed by the Al-Ahram Publishing House in Cairo, Egypt. History and profile ''Al Ahram Weekly'' was established in 1991 by the ''Al-Ahram'' newspaper, which also runs a French-langu ...
'', Abd el-Fattah's name "is in many ways synonymous with Egypt's 25 January Revolution." Abd El-Fattah participated in nearly every demonstration after the revolution began.Dawoud, Khaled (17 November 2011)
"The face of protest"
''Al-Ahram Weekly''. .
He was not in Egypt on 25 January 2011, when the anti-regime protests began and when the Egyptian government shut down the internet in the country. However, he was able to collect information from family and friends by land-line phones and published to the outside world the events occurring in Egypt during the first days of the
revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
. A few days later, he returned to Egypt and was in
Tahrir Square Tahrir Square (, ; ), also known as Martyr Square, is a public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political demonstrations. The 2011 Egyptian revolution and the resignation of President of Egypt, ...
, the epicenter of the protests, on 2 February. While demonstrating there, he participated in defending the square from attacks by security forces and pro-regime assailants, an event known in Egypt as "camel battle". Abd El-Fattah continued his participation in the Egyptian revolution, until Mubarak stepped down from the presidency. He thereafter settled in Egypt, where he maintained his participation in the demonstrations against the
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF; , ', also Higher Council of the Armed Forces) is a Statutory authority, statutory body of between 20 and 25 Senior officer, senior Officer (armed forces), officers of the Egyptian Armed Forces, and ...
' (SCAF) way of running the country after Mubarak's fall. On 30 October, Abd El-Fattah was arrested on charges of inciting violence against the military during the 9 October Maspero demonstrations, during which hundreds of people were injured and 27 died in the worst violence since Mubarak left office. Abd El-Fattah refused to recognise the legitimacy of his interrogators or answer their questions and was then to be held for 15 days, a period that indefinitely renewable. He was accused of having incited fighting in Maspero, of assaulting soldiers and damaging military property. As in his 2006 imprisonment, his mother spoke out in his support, and initiated a hunger strike in opposition to the court-martialling of civilians on 6 November. His father and sisters also participated in the 2011 protests. At his first hearing, Abd El-Fattah's father, the human rights attorney Ahmed Seif El-Islam presented the military court with video tapes, one of which contained footage of Armored Personnel Carriers running over protesters and another of state television anchors "inciting violence." He also accused the head of military police of being directly responsible for the violence and accused the Supreme Council of Armed Forces of obstruction of justice for instituting a curfew the night of the attack in order to "hide all the evidence of the army's crimes". The spokesman for the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univers ...
called for the release of Abd El-Fattah and all others imprisoned for exercising free speech, while
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
issued a condemnation of his imprisonment and accusing SCAF of involvement in the Maspero clashes.Shenker, Jack (2 November 2011)
"Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El Fattah accuses army of hijacking revolution"
''The Guardian''. .
In reaction to his imprisonment, thousands of protesters took part in demonstrations in Cairo and
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
demanding Abd El-Fattah's release. Human rights activists and bloggers outside of Egypt have also called for his release. While incarcerated in the Bab al-Khalq Prison, he wrote a letter to fellow Egyptian activists, claiming that SCAF had "hijacked" the revolution. He also compared his current imprisonment with the jail time he served in 2006, saying: "I never expected to repeat the experience of five years ago. After a revolution that deposed the tyrant, I go back to his jails?" Following protests against Abd El-Fattah's incarceration, military authorities allowed his case to be handled by a civilian court instead of military tribunal. On 13 December, the court dropped two charges against him, including incitement and illegal assembly. The court extended his detention for another 15 days and maintained the charges of stealing weapons and shooting at soldiers. While Abd El-Fattah remained in custody, his son Khaled was born, named after Khaled Said, the slain blogger who had become a symbol of the Egyptian revolution. On 25 December 2011, a judge representing the public prosecutor's office ordered the release of Abd El-Fattah to take place the following day. He remained under a travel ban.


November 2013 arrest

In November 2013, Abd El-Fattah was arrested again for allegedly encouraging a demonstration against the new constitution outside the Egyptian Parliament. Around 20 policemen raided Abd El-Fattah's home, broke the door down, and proceeded to confiscate the family's computers and mobile phones. When Abd El-Fattah asked to see the arrest warrant, the police physically assaulted him and his wife. In June 2014, Abd El-Fattah, along with 24 others, was sentenced
in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...
to 15 years imprisonment, on counts of violating the new Protest Law. In October 2014, the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced his sister Sanaa Seif and 22 others to three years in prison on similar charges. In early September 2014, his mother Laila Soueif and sister Mona Seif embarked on a
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
in protest against the imprisonment of the siblings. On 19 November, Soueif and Mona Seif ended their 76-day hunger strike. On 23 February 2015, Abd El-Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison. He was released on 29 March 2019, but remained subject to a five-year
parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...
period, requiring him to stay at a police station for 12 hours daily, from evening until morning.


September 2019 re-arrest

On 29 September 2019, during the
2019 Egyptian protests The 2019 Egyptian protests were mass protests in Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta and other cities on 20, 21 and 27 September 2019 in which the protestors called for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to be removed from power. Security forces responded ...
, Abd El-Fattah was arrested by the
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...
and taken to State Security Prosecution on charges that were unknown. Abd El-Fattah's family released a statement to announce that he was kidnapped after leaving the Dokki police station. Since his release in March 2019, Abd El-Fattah had been required to follow daily police probation of 12 hours per day in the Dokki police station for five years. He was tortured by a welcome parade in
Tora Prison Tora Prison ( '; ) is an Egyptian prison complex for criminal and political detainees, located in Tora, Egypt. The complex is situated in front of the Tora El Balad metro station. The main buildings in the Tora Prison complex are Tora Agricultur ...
.


December 2021 sentencing

Abd El-Fattah was convicted and sentenced to five years of imprisonment for spreading "false news undermining national security" in December 2021, while lawyers Mohamed El-Baqer and blogger Mohamed "Oxygen" Ibrahim were sentenced to four years each, according to Abdel Fattah's sister Mona Seif. During his detention, at
Tora Prison Tora Prison ( '; ) is an Egyptian prison complex for criminal and political detainees, located in Tora, Egypt. The complex is situated in front of the Tora El Balad metro station. The main buildings in the Tora Prison complex are Tora Agricultur ...
, he became a
British citizen The primary law governing nationality in the United Kingdom is the British Nationality Act 1981, which came into force on 1 January 1983. Regulations apply to the British Islands, which include the UK itself (England, Wales, Scotland, and Nor ...
, through his British-born mother. On 2 April 2022, he began a
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
in protest at being kept in
solitary confinement Solitary confinement (also shortened to solitary) is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single Prison cell, cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to ...
, and refused access to books, and the opportunity to exercise; demanding to be allowed a visit by United Kingdom Consular staff. As of 2 May 2022, his hunger strike continued, he had received no medical attention despite losing weight and becoming "very weak", and had said his farewells to his family. On 18 May 2022, 10 MPs and 17 members of the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
urged the UK government to take action to help Alaa Abd El-Fattah. In a letter to foreign secretary
Liz Truss Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth da ...
, they stated that the British-Egyptian activist was being held in "inhumane" conditions. It also mentioned that the British Embassy in Egypt has been requesting consular access to Abd El-Fattah, but this was denied by the Egyptian authorities. Lord Simon McDonald, former
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs This is a list of Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Permanent Under-Secretaries in the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (and its predecessors) since 1790. Not to be confused with Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State f ...
and Head of the Diplomatic Service, said that because of the international law on multiple citizenship Egypt does not have to recognise his British citizenship while he is in Egypt, where he holds citizenship. On 14 June 2022, at least 25 celebrities and political thinkers from across the world urged the British foreign secretary
Liz Truss Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth da ...
to help secure the release of Abd el-Fattah.
Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor. He began acting in the late 1980s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan's play ''This Is Our Youth'' (1996) and drama film ''You Can Count on Me'' (2000) ...
,
Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
,
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
, and
Carey Mulligan Carey Hannah Mulligan (born 28 May 1985) is a British actress. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. She w ...
were among the celebrities who penned the letter calling on the United Kingdom to condemn his prolonged detention in Egypt. His family feared that he might die after weeks on just water and Rehydration salts. His sister, Sanaa Seif, also urged Truss to publicly demand that the activist be released, as he was convinced that he would not leave the Egyptian prison alive. On 6 November 2022, as Egypt hosted world leaders for the COP27 summit, Abdel Fattah stopped drinking water, after more than six months of a hunger strike. His sister Sanaa Seif raised concerns that he might die within days, and hoped that PM
Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. Following his defeat to Keir Starmer's La ...
would secure Abdel Fattah's release during his visit to Egypt for COP27. Seif also spoke about her fears that the Egyptian authorities might be torturing Abdel Fattah and
force-feeding Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a human or animal against their will. The term ''gavage'' (, , ) refers to supplying a substance by means of a small plastic feeding tube passed through the nose (nasogastric tube, nasogastric) or mouth (o ...
him behind the closed doors. She asked for a proof of life of her brother. The UN human rights chief
Volker Türk Volker Türk (born 27 August 1965) is an Austrian lawyer and United Nations official. He has been the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights since October 2022. Career Early years In 1991, Türk became a UN Junior Professional Officer and ha ...
also called on Egypt to immediately release Abdel Fattah. On 10 November, prison officials told Abdel Fattah's family that he had received "medical intervention with the knowledge of a judicial authority," indicative of either force-feeding or
intravenous Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutr ...
rehydration. On 15 November, his family received a letter from him saying he had ended his hunger strike and he would explain why at their next visit. On 23 November 2022, 67 French parliamentarians called on European authorities and governments, to intervene for Abd El-Fattah's immediate release, and to transport him on a European plane to a country of his choice, due to the deterioration of his health in Egyptian prison and the possibility of his re-arrest. Abd El-Fattah's sister, Sana Seif, approached Europe and the United Nations to push for the release of her brother. She also called for the
UNHRC The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. The ...
to investigate into the imprisonment of her brother and other political prisoners in Egypt. Seif re-started the #FreeAlaa campaign, saying that international pressure was required. On 16 March 2023, the Geneva Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Germany had exchanged its views on these initiatives with Seif in
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
. On 14 November 2023, Abd El-Fattah's family instructed an international counsel team led by
Can Yeğinsu Vedat Can Yeğinsu (born 12 November 1980) is an English barrister and arbitrator who practises from 3 Verulam Buildings Chambers in London and specialises in commercial law, international arbitration, human rights, and international law. He is al ...
to file an urgent appeal with the UN
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) is a body of independent human rights experts that investigate cases of arbitrary arrest and detention. Arbitrary arrest and detention is the imprisonment or detainment of an individual, by a State, ...
.


2024: sentence extended

Based on the sentencing, Abd El-Fattah was supposed to be released on 29 September 2024, but the Egyptian authorities decided not to include his
pre-trial detention Pre-trial detention, also known as jail, preventive detention, provisional detention, or remand, is the process of detaining a person until their trial after they have been arrested and charged with an offence. A person who is on remand is ...
, pushing the release date to 2027. On 30 September 2024, his mother Laila Soueif began a daily hunger strike outside the UK government's
Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...
in
Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
, chalking on the pavement the number of days of her son's illegal imprisonment. Surviving on water, rehydration salts, and sugarless tea and coffee, she spent an hour each day outside
10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...
. She was joined in mid-January 2025 by Australian journalist Peter Greste, who had been imprisoned in Egypt with Abd El-Fattah in 2013, for a 21-day hunger strike. In February 2025, Laila Soueif was hospitalised as the result of a dangerous fall in her blood-sugar levels, and a member of her family was reported as saying: "It seems extraordinary that the whole of the British government machine is unable to secure a call ith the Egyptian president Laila has always said her fast is about securing some sign of progress in the release of her son, but so far she has nothing and feels she cannot stop her hunger strike." In March 2025, Alaa Abd El-Fattah began a second phase of his hunger strike, after learning that his mother had been hospitalized in London.


Recognition and awards

In September 2014, he was nominated by
European United Left–Nordic Green Left The Left in the European Parliament (The Left) is a left-wing political group of the European Parliament established in 1995. Prior to January 2021 it was named the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (, GUE/NGL). The group is mainly compos ...
for the
Sakharov Prize The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, commonly known as the Sakharov Prize, is an honorary award for individuals or groups who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought. Named after Russian scienti ...
, along with the Tunisian rapper Weld El 15 and the Moroccan rapper
L7a9d Mouad Belaghouat (; born in 1988), better known as L7a9d or El Haqed (), is a Moroccan rapper and human rights activist who rose to prominence when he was imprisoned for criticising Mohammed VI, the king of Morocco. After two years in prison, ...
. The following month, the nomination was withdrawn after controversy over some 2012 tweets by Abd El-Fattah at the time of Israel's bombing of Gaza. He complained that the tweets had been taken out of context. In 2022, Australian journalist Peter Greste, who had been imprisoned with Abd El-Fattah for several months in 2014, described him as "easily the best-known political prisoner in Egypt today". He cited Abd El-Fattah's collection of writings entitled ''You Have Not Yet Been Defeated'' as especially meaningful to him because Abd El-Fattah had helped him understand their predicament, and given him the psychological tools to survive what they went through. On 10 October 2024, while still imprisoned, Abd El-Fattah was named by
Arundhati Roy Suzanna Arundhati Roy (; born 24 November 1961) is an Indian author best known for her novel ''The God of Small Things'' (1997), which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. ...
, winner of the 2024 PEN Pinter Prize awarded by
English PEN Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associa ...
, as the international "writer of courage" with whom she had chosen to share the prize, as announced at a ceremony at the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
. An appreciation of both writers was delivered by Naomi Klein, and Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of independent online Egyptian newspaper ''
Mada Masr ''Mada Masr'' () is an independent Egyptian online newspaper, founded in June 2013 by former journalists of the English-language newspaper '' Egypt Independent'' following the shutting down of its editorial operations in April 2013. It is an inde ...
'', accepted the award on Abd El-Fattah's behalf.


Personal life

Abd El-Fattah married activist and blogger Manal Bahey al-Din Hassan. He missed the birth of his first child while detained in December 2011. They were no longer married by mid-2024. His usual place of residence is
Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...
.


Bibliography

*


See also

*
Asmaa Mahfouz Asmaa Mahfouz (, , born 1 February 1985) is an Egyptian activist and one of the founders of the April 6 Youth Movement. She has been credited by journalist Mona Eltahawy and others with helping to spark a mass uprising through her video blog p ...
*
George Ishak George Isaac (; 1938 – 9 June 2023) was an Egyptian politician and activist. During the later part of Hosni Mubarak's presidency, he co-founded the grassroots Kefaya opposition movement. Following the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that toppled M ...
*
Wael Ghonim Wael Ghonim ( ; born 23 December 1980) is an Internet activist and computer engineer with an interest in social entrepreneurship. In 2011, he became an international figure and galvanized pro-democracy demonstrations in Egypt after his emot ...
*
Hossam el-Hamalawy Hossam el-Hamalawy (, ; AKA Arabic chat alphabet, 3arabawy , ; born 14 July 1977) is an Egyptian journalist, blogger, photographer and socialist activist. He is a member of the Revolutionary Socialists (Egypt), Revolutionary Socialists and the C ...


References


External links


Alaa Abd El-Fatah Twitter account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abd El-Fattah, Alaa 1981 births Living people Democracy activists from Cairo Egyptian bloggers Egyptian dissidents Egyptian revolutionaries Human rights activists from Cairo Hunger strikers Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Political prisoners in Egypt