Calls for the release of the 43-year-old Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah are gaining momentum again.

This week, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, or UNWGAD, stated that Abdel-Fattah's continued imprisonment in Egypt is illegal. Following an 18-month investigation, the group argued that no warrant or explanation was present at the time of the arrest, and that Abdel-Fattah was imprisoned for exercising his freedom of expression — a legal right in Egypt.

The reportconcludes with the call on the Egyptian government "to take the steps necessary to remedy the situation without delay…to release Abdel-Fattah immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law."

Cairo is yet to comment on the ruling, but for Abdel-Fattah's family, who is based in London, the report comes "at an important moment," Omar Hamilton, Abdel-Fattah's cousin, told DW.

Abdel-Fattah's mother, Leila Soueif, has been on hunger strike in support of her son's release for around 250 days. This week, the health of the 69-year-old British citizen deteriorated massively.

"Our family is in the hospital every day," Hamilton told DW. "While we're doing what we can to keep her as comfortable as possible, she is mentally very strong and very determined."

Last week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ramped up his support as well. Starmer phoned Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi for the second time this year to discuss the situation of Alaa Abdel-Fattah who has been a British citizen since 2022. Starmer

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