French President Emmanuel Macron called on his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday for the release of Alaa Abdel Fattah, amid growing concern over the health of Egypt’s most notorious political detainee.
“I raised with him several individual cases of more fragile (…) more sensitive personalities,” including that of Alaa Abdel Fattah, who stopped eating and drinking, the head of state said during a press conference on the sidelines of the World Conference on Climate (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh.
“President Sissi, first of all, is committed to ensuring that his health is obviously preserved,” said Emmanuel Macron. The French president called for “the release” of the detainee, Elysée said.
“I say this here very cautiously, but I hope that the next few weeks and the next few months will allow for results,” Emmanuel Macron added.
Multiple incarcerations since 2006
The fate of Alaa Abdel Fattah, a 40-year-old Egyptian-British pro-democracy activist, who has been on a hunger strike for seven months to protest his conditions of detention, is a matter of growing concern.
Figure de la révolution de 2011, incarcerated many years after 2006, it did not guarantee plus aucune calorie after the 1st November and ended the day before, alors that were held by COP 27 at Charm el-Cheikh, at the other end From the country.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, arrested by the activist’s family, also promised to discuss his case with the Egyptian president.
The French president explained that he had raised with his counterpart the fact that Alaa Abdel Fattah “had led struggles (…) for several years in the country, with great courage, including struggles that even President Sissi himself had been able to share.” .
Ramy Shaath’s Previous
He also reiterated his desire not to go “outward” in his exchanges with President Sissi, judging that it was “much more effective” in achieving results.
“The last few years have shown that every time I have done this we have obtained the release of activists, activists (…) after express requests that he had been able to make,” said Emmanuel Macron, in particular referring to the Egyptian political activist- Palestinian Ramy Shaath.
The latter, coordinator in Egypt of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS, which advocates boycotting Israel in the fight against the occupation of the Palestinian Territories) movement, was released in January 2022 after more than two years in detention. for “disorders against the state”. He then went to France where his wife is from.
Source: BFM TV
