UN investigators find Egypt’s detention of Alaa Abd el-Fattah unlawful, citing suppression of free speech; advocate for his immediate release and reparations.
A United Nations panel has determined that British-Egyptian human rights activist and writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah is being arbitrarily and illegally detained by the Egyptian government.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s 18-month investigation concluded that Abd el-Fattah’s imprisonment lacks legal justification and is rooted in his political views and expression.
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Abd el-Fattah, a prominent figure in Egypt’s 2011 uprising, was arrested in 2019 and sentenced in 2021 to five years for allegedly spreading false information.
The UN panel highlighted that his arrest was executed without a valid warrant and was based on a Facebook post concerning a prison death.
They emphasized that his continued detention violates international
