English PEN welcomes the recent Opinion adopted by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) on the case of British Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah.
The UNWGAD, which investigates alleged cases of arbitrary detention, has found the imprisonment of Alaa Abd el-Fattah to be arbitrary and in violation of international law. The Working Group further states that ‘the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr Abd el-Fattah immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.’
An Honorary Member of English PEN and the winner of the 2024 PEN Pinter Prize for a Writer of Courage, Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been imprisoned in Egypt for much of the last decade.
Daniel Gorman, Director of English PEN, said:
English PEN strongly supports and welcomes the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s opinion on British-Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s case. The decision clearly recognises the arbitrary nature of his ongoing imprisonment and the violations of international law and calls on the Egyptian authorities to release him now. The UK ggovernment must do all it can to ensure that the UNWGAD decision is enforced, and that Alaa Abd el-Fattah is freed immediately.
In November 2023, an international counsel team, led by barrister and English PEN trustee Can Yeğinsu, filed an urgent appeal with the UNWGAD on behalf of Alaa Abd el-Fattah and his family, submitting that his continued detention was arbitrary and in violation of international law. Responding to the ruling, Yeğinsu said:
The UN Working Group has delivered a clear and unequivocal decision: Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s detention is arbitrary and in breach of international law. Egypt is now obligated to release Alaa immediately.
In September 2024, Alaa Abd el-Fattah completed his latest five-year sentence. However, the Egyptian authorities continued to refuse to release him, ignoring time spent in pre-trial detention, again defying international legal norms. More than seven months later, he remains in detention.
Alaa Abd el Fattah’s 69-year-old mother Laila Soueif has been on hunger strike since the Egyptian authorities failed to release him. Following her hospitalisation in February 2025, Abd el-Fattah began a hunger strike in prison. He has since undergone medical treatment for severe stomach pains and vomiting. Concerns for their health and well-being are mounting daily.
We welcome the UNWGAD’s Opinion at this critical juncture and echo their call for Egypt to release Alaa Abd el-Fattah immediately.
Photo credit: Angela Christofilou.