Egypt puts activist on hunger strike on medical treatment

Egypt's leading pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah speaks during a conference at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, September 22, 2014.  (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
Egypt's leading pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah speaks during a conference at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, September 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Egyptian prison authorities have intervened medically with imprisoned pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who this week escalated his hunger strike and stopped drinking water, his family says, demanding his release.

The drama surrounding his fate is coinciding with Egypt’s hosting of the UN climate summit.

A lawyer for the family, Khaled Ali, says in a tweet he had been given permission to visit Abdel-Fattah in prison and was heading there immediately today, the fifth day that the activist has gone without drinking any water or consuming any calories.

The nature of the medical intervention was not known, and it was not clear if he was moved to a prison hospital. The family has expressed fears prison officials would force-feed Abdel-Fattah, which they said would amount to torture. Abdel-Fattah said in an earlier letter that he was prepared to die in prison if not freed.

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