British-Egyptian activist's sister confronted by Egyptian MP at COP27

An Egyptian lawmaker defended the detention of British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and was removed from a press conference at the COP27 climate meeting. Abdel Fattah has been on a hunger strike for over 200 days and has also refused water since Sunday. In a statement issued in Geneva, UN human rights chief Volker Türk urged the Egyptian government to "immediately release Abdel Fattah from prison and provide him with the necessary medical treatment".

Amr Darwish was addressing a panel that also included Sanaa Seif, Abdel Fattah's sister, when he said that he was "not a political prisoner".

Türk said his life was "at acute risk" and he needs to be freed immediately. Abdel Fattah has been on a hunger strike since April for being denied consular visits. His sister, Sanaa Seif, said, "All we know is that Alaa stopped drinking water 50 hours ago. We don't know where he is. We don't know if he is alive."

"My mother waited outside the prison gates for 10 hours yesterday for her weekly letter. They didn't give her one. She is back at those gates right now," she told a news conference at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt.

"I asked the British authorities to get us some proof that Alaa is alive and conscious. I did not get any response."

She further raised concerns about the way her brother is possibly being treated by prison authorities. Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry had told CNBC that authorities were providing Abdel Fattah with the "healthcare and care that is available to all inmates". President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi had, meanwhile, had told French President Macron that Egypt is committed to keeping him in good health.

"Are they force-feeding my brother right now? Is he handcuffed in a bed put on IVs [intravenous therapy] against his will. This is what it sounds like to me," Ms Seif said. "If that is the case, then he has been plunged into a worse nightmare than he was already in."

The UN human rights chief also called on Egypt to "fulfil their human rights obligations and immediately release all those arbitrarily detained".

(With inputs from agencies)