Imprisoned Egyptian activist calls off hunger strike

The family of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah says they received a letter from him on Tuesday

Egypt COP27 Activist (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The family of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah says they received a letter from him on Tuesday saying he has ended his hunger strike.

The family said in a statement that Abdel-Fattah's mother, Laila Soueif, received a short note in her son’s handwriting via prison authorities. The letter is dated Monday. In it, he asks her to come for monthly visit to him in prison on Thursday.

‘‘I’ve broken my strike. I’ll explain everything on Thursday,’’ the letter read.

Fears had been mounting over Abdel-Fattah's life since he stopped intake of all food, then stopped drinking water on Nov. 6, escalating a months-long partial hunger strike to pressure for his release. His strike was timed to coincide Egypt’s hosting of the international climate summit to draw attention to his case and those of other political prisoners.

The news comes a day after the renowned dissident announced the end of his water strike on Monday via a similar handwritten letter delivered to the family.

The prison authorities began a medical intervention on Abdel-Fattah last Thursday, but authorities did not provide details on the nature of medical intervention raising concerns among the family that he was being force-fed.

Abdel-Fattah’s hunger strike has drawn attention to Egypt’s heavy suppression of speech and political activity. Since 2013, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s government has cracked down hard on dissidents and critics, jailing thousand and virtually banning all protests.

Abdel-Fattah is one of Egypt's most prominent pro-democracy activists and has spent most of the last decade in prison. He is currently serving a five-year sentence on charges related to sharing a Facebook post. He rose to prominence during the 2011 pro-democracy uprisings — known as the Arab Spring — that swept through the Middle East. In Egypt, the uprising toppled the country’s long-time autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.