“I don’t want to upset you, but I don’t believe there is any chance of individual salvation,” he told his mother during her visit to Wadi al-Natrun prison. He passed a list of demands, including the release of those held by Egyptian security forces and thousands held without charge in pre-trial detention centers. Egypt’s moves to limit all but state-sanctioned participation in Cop27 follow a nearly decade-long crackdown on civil society under Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW). on Monday. The HRW report cited 13 environmental activists, including some who fled the country, fearing for their safety. Human rights and environmental groups told HRW they remain wary of public engagement with Cop27, fearing state reprisals. “The security apparatus will probably focus now more than ever on environmental civil society in Egypt,” said one activist, now living in exile. Activists “described a sharp reduction in the space for independent work on the environment and climate since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government took over,” including harassment and intimidation, cuts to essential funding, travel difficulties and fear of intimidation of their contacts by security forces or if they conducted or organized field research, according to the report. “We haven’t even thought about protesting,” said one activist. Members of the environmental movement in Egypt also spoke of a clear divide, where work deemed in line with the government’s priorities, such as climate finance or recycling, has been given extensive space to operate while activists feel unable to carry out activities that they could be perceived as critical of the government or its private interests, especially issues of water scarcity or industrial pollution. One campaigner described the government’s major projects, such as the Suez Canal Economic Zone or building a new capital, as a “red line”, adding: “I can’t work on it.” Abd El-Fattah, a figure in Egypt’s 2011 uprising and regional pro-democracy movements, has spent most of the past decade behind bars and was convicted last year on terrorism charges for a post about torture on social media. While the 40-year-old activist became a British citizen almost a year ago, British officials are not allowed to visit him in custody to check on his welfare. He is now on hunger strike for 164 days in protest at his treatment, consuming just 100 calories a day, and has threatened to escalate his strike to just water and salt. “When I last saw Alaa three weeks ago, he looked so tired. He was struggling to stand,” said his sister, Sana’a Seif. “I was speechless. I wasn’t allowed to hug him. Alaa is sacrificing his life to assert his right to consular access, while the Foreign Office refuses to act decisively to assert that right.” The activist’s supporters say British authorities are failing to use the leverage given to them by working with Egypt in their role as Cop26 chair and important financial and political partners to press for Abd El-Fattah’s freedom. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson raised Abd El-Fattah’s case in a call with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on August 25, and Liz Truss pledged, while Foreign Secretary, to secure his release. A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) declined to answer questions about how the continued detention of a British citizen might affect participation at Cop27, saying: “We are working hard to secure the release of Mr Abd el -Fattah and we continue to make his case to the highest levels of the Egyptian government.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In the weeks ahead of November’s climate conference, which Egypt is keen to promote as an opportunity for environmentally friendly investment despite ongoing human rights concerns, British International Investment, the development finance arm of the FCDO, pledged to invest an additional £87 million in Egypt. , in addition to the more than £660 million worth of projects it is currently funding. BII also recently signed a memorandum of understanding to finance a green hydrogen plant through a subsidiary in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, a project linked to Egypt’s vast military economy. “The UK and Egyptian governments are making huge business deals in preparation for Cop27, while a British citizen dies in an Egyptian prison. This is an appalling precedent with a country known for its human rights abuses… Liz Truss said she was working for his release. Now that he is the prime minister, he has to make it happen,” said Seif. While Egypt has promised to allow protests at Cop27, its foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, who is overseeing the conference, has stipulated that only limited protests held in areas designated by the government will be allowed. Egypt has also clamped down on civil society activity, limiting the participation of domestic groups to those who are not critical of the government. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is leading preparations for Cop27, declined to comment.
