The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for the immediate release of political activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, saying his imprisonment in Egypt constitutes “arbitrary detention and violates international law,” according to a statement published by the 'Free Alaa' page on Facebook.
The UN panel said Alaa's continued detention obliges the Egyptian government to “release him without delay and to grant him a legally enforceable right to compensation and other forms of reparation under international law.”
In November 2024, 34 organizations advocating for freedom of expression and human rights petitioned the UN group to examine Alaa’s case and issue an opinion as soon as possible.
The appeal followed a formal request submitted by the imprisoned activist on Nov. 14, in which he argued that his continued detention in Egypt is arbitrary and incompatible with international law.
A document attached to the statement shows the UN panel based its decision on recommendations adopted during its April 1–10, 2025 session. The panel, composed of independent human rights experts, had contacted the Egyptian government on Dec. 9, 2024, raising concerns regarding the nature of Alaa’s imprisonment.
Egypt, a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, responded on Mar. 6, 2025.
Based on the government’s reply, the UN group concluded that Alaa’s ongoing detention is “arbitrary and unlawful” for four main reasons: the absence of a judicial warrant at the time of his arrest; failure to disclose the reasons for his detention or the charges against him; the fact that he was arrested for exercising his right to freedom of expression; and the denial of a fair trial.
The panel also found the detention discriminatory due to his political views.
UN report on the arbitrary detention of political activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. May 27, 2025.According to the statement, the UN panel called on the Egyptian government to rectify his situation without delay, stressing that “the appropriate remedy would be to release Abd El-Fattah immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law”.
British lawyer Can Yeğinsu, who represents Alaa, wrote in a Financial Times article that the UN decision clearly demonstrates that arbitrary detention is not an exception in Egypt but a systemic practice.
He added that, in a stark contradiction, “states such as Egypt erode the very authority they seek to preserve.”
Last Thursday, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The two leaders discussed regional developments—chief among them the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza—and economic ties.
They also addressed the case of Alaa, who has been on hunger strike for three months at Wadi Al-Natrun prison in protest of his continued imprisonment, despite the legal end of his sentence in September 2024.
Alaa has held dual British-Egyptian citizenship since 2021, following multiple applications by his family, grounded in the fact that his mother was born in the UK.
Alaa remains in legal limbo due to the state’s refusal to credit more than two years of pretrial detention toward his prison sentence. Although arrested in September 2019, authorities count his term from January 2022, leaving him imprisoned despite having served his time, according to his lawyer Khaled Ali.
Article 482 of Egypt’s Criminal Procedure Code states that a custodial sentence begins on the day of arrest if the defendant remains in detention, with the total sentence reduced by the duration of pretrial detention and time spent in custody. Under the article, if multiple prison sentences are handed down, pretrial detention should be deducted from the lighter sentence first.
A week ago, professor and mathematician Laila Soueif announced she had resumed her full hunger strike, which she initially launched in late Sept. 2024 to protest her son’s continued imprisonment. She later transitioned to a partial strike after doctors urged her to do so due to her deteriorating health, which led to her hospitalization in a London hospital.
