UN panel finds Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah is being illegally detained

An independent United Nations investigation has concluded that British-Egyptian writer and human rights advocate Alaa Abd el-Fattah is being arbitrarily and unlawfully imprisoned by Egyptian authorities.

The findings follow an 18-month inquiry by a UN panel, which determined that Abd el-Fattah's arrest and detention lacked legal justification and were driven by his political opinions.

Abd el-Fattah’s mother, who lives in the UK, has been campaigning for his release, staging daily one-hour vigils outside the UK Prime Minister’s office and undertaking a hunger strike that has significantly impacted her health.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently renewed his call for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to free the detained writer, marking his second public appeal on the matter.

Originally arrested in September 2019, Abd el-Fattah spent two years in pre-trial detention before being sentenced to five years in prison on charges of spreading false information and endangering Egypt’s national interests. The charges were reportedly based on a Facebook post in which he commented on the death of a fellow inmate.

The UN report concluded that his detention was illegal due to the absence of a proper arrest warrant and failure to provide clear reasons or evidence for the charges. It further stated that Abd el-Fattah’s imprisonment appears to be a result of his political beliefs.

The panel has urged the Egyptian government to release him immediately and to grant him compensation and other reparations in accordance with international law.

Although Egypt is not legally bound to follow the UN panel’s recommendations, the report adds to mounting international criticism of the country’s human rights record under al-Sisi.