Lawyer of Egypt hunger-striker denied access for 2nd time / Photo: Khaled DESOUKI - AFP/File
-
Trump names Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff after midterm losses
-
The Good Daughter adapts Karin Slaughter thriller with Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy
-
Restored Albanian tower houses anchor new rural tourism trail
-
Heavy-lift drone evacuates wounded Ukrainian soldier from frontline kill zone
-
Sonia Gandhi reflects on family tragedy and reluctant political career
-
Morrison says West Brom recovered after pressure from successive derby losses
-
Pope Leo begins three-country South American tour in Uruguay
-
Britain considers 2027 state visit for Ukraine’s Zelensky
-
Khawaja says entire Australia camp knew of 2018 ball-tampering plan
-
Anna Miltina Confronted with Racism Allegations on ProSieben Show
-
November Foraging Guide: Edible Mushrooms and Critical Safety Protocols
-
German Auto Giants Face Existential Crisis as China Sales Plummet
-
Microsoft Updates Xbox PC App with 60% Faster Startup and Redesigned Interface
-
Cause of Death Revealed for 'Ellen' Producer Matthew Wright
-
Early Polar Vortex Disruption Creates Uncertain Winter Outlook for Pennsylvania
-
DEA Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Closes With Government Not Meeting Its Burden Of Proof?
-
How to Enjoy Luxury Experiences on a Budget
-
Edmund Richardson Wins Baillie Gifford Prize for 'Alexander' Biography
-
Pakistan Demands Grant-Based Climate Finance at COP31 to Avoid Debt Trap
Lawyer of Egypt hunger-striker denied access for 2nd time
The lawyer for Egypt's jailed hunger-striker Alaa Abdel Fattah said Sunday he had been denied access to his client for a second time in days, as fears for the activist's health mount.
Seven months into a hunger strike, Abdel Fattah began refusing water on November 6 as world leaders arrived in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the COP27 climate summit.
A key figure in the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, he is serving a five-year prison sentence for "spreading false news" by sharing a Facebook post about police brutality.
His family say they fear for his life, and have made months-long appeals to the international community, particularly Britain, where Abdel Fattah gained citizenship this year from behind bars through his British-born mother.
His lawyer Khaled Ali, a former presidential candidate, had previously been denied access on Thursday, after prison authorities said his permit was invalid because it was dated the day before. Such passes generally have validity for "one week", he said.
On Sunday, Ali said he received another permit to visit, but was blocked again.
"I picked up the permit from the public prosecutor's office in Cairo at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT), and I went as quickly as possible" to the prison, he said on Facebook.
He arrived at Wadi al-Natroun prison, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Cairo, at around 4:45 pm, and was allowed inside and made to wait.
But an hour later, an officer informed him that "the prison was closed", Ali added.
Abdel Fattah was a key figure in Egypt's Arab Spring uprising more than a decade ago. He began consuming "only 100 calories a day" in April, his family said, to protest the conditions he and about 60,000 other political prisoners face in the country.
Some world leaders have raised his case with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in bilateral meetings during the climate talks.
His sister Sanaa Seif was heckled by pro-government attendees at two press conferences this week, who called her brother a "criminal", not a "political prisoner".
On Friday, his other sister, Mona Seif, submitted a pardon request.
The plea was picked up by one of Egypt's most watched talk show hosts, the ardently pro-Sisi Amr Adib.
On prime time television Friday, Adib said the pardon would be in "the interest of Egypt first and foremost".
L.Davis--AMWN
