Alaa Abdel Fattah: British-Egyptian activist's life at acute risk - UN

The United Nations quality rights main has called connected Egypt to instantly merchandise jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy activistic Alaa Abdel Fattah.

Volker Türk said his beingness was "at acute risk" aft helium escalated a hunger onslaught and stopped drinking water.

He began the onslaught successful April to protestation against the denial of consular visits.

His sister, Sanaa Seif, said: "All we cognize is that Alaa stopped drinking h2o 50 hours ago. We don't cognize wherever helium is. We don't cognize if helium is alive."

"I asked the British authorities to get america immoderate impervious that Alaa is live and conscious. I did not get immoderate response."

Ms Seif said she had been highly disquieted by caller interviews fixed by Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who is chairing COP27, and President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.

Mr Shoukry told CNBC connected Monday that situation authorities were providing Abdel Fattah with the "healthcare and attraction that is disposable to each inmates", portion France's president said Mr Sisi had assured him Egypt was "committed to ensuring that [the] wellness of Alaa Abdel Fattah is preserved".

"Are they force-feeding my member close now? Is helium handcuffed successful a furniture enactment connected IVs [intravenous therapy] against his will. This is what it sounds similar to me," Ms Seif said. "If that is the case, past helium has been plunged into a worse nightmare than helium was already in."

"We cognize that they are blessed for him to die. The lone happening they attraction astir is that it doesn't hap portion the satellite is watching."

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stressed his "deep concern" astatine the lawsuit during a gathering with President Sisi successful Sharm el-Sheikh connected Monday and said helium "hoped to spot this resolved arsenic soon arsenic possible", a Downing Street spokesperson said.

In a connection issued successful Geneva, the UN quality rights main urged the Egyptian authorities to "immediately merchandise Abdel Fattah from situation and supply him with the indispensable aesculapian treatment".

"Abdel Fattah is successful large danger. His adust hunger onslaught puts his beingness astatine acute risk," Mr Türk said, describing him arsenic 1 of a fig of radical successful Egypt who had been "arbitrarily deprived of their liberty".

But helium did not bounds his comments to conscionable the British-Egyptian activist's case.

"I telephone connected the Egyptian authorities to fulfil their quality rights obligations and instantly merchandise each those arbitrarily detained, including those successful pre-trial detention, arsenic good arsenic those unfairly convicted," helium said. "No-one should beryllium detained for exercising their basal quality rights."

Mr Abdel Fattah, a 40-year-old begetter of one, archetypal roseate to prominence during the 2011 uprising successful Egypt that forced long-time President Hosni Mubarak to resign.

Since Mr Sisi came to powerfulness successful 2014 aft starring the military's overthrow of Mubarak's democratically elected successor, Abdel Fattah has spent astir of the clip successful situation oregon constabulary detention.

Last year, helium was convicted of "spreading mendacious news" successful a Facebook station and sentenced to 5 years successful prison. Human rights groups had called the complaint spurious and the proceedings a sham.

In April, his household said helium had begun a partial hunger strike, consuming a maximum of 100 calories a day.

Last week, with his wellness already fragile, helium told relatives helium would portion lone h2o until Sunday, erstwhile COP27 started, and would past halt adjacent that.