UK PM runs away from reporter asking about imprisoned British hunger striker

A video of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak running away from a reporter who asks him about Alaa Abdelfattah at COP27 is currently circulating on Twitter.

In the video a reporter asks Sunak if he is demanding the release of a British citizen who is on hunger strike in prison, to which Sunak refuses to answer.

We are very concerned to see UK Prime Minister @RishiSunak fleeing from a reporter who repeatedly asks about the status of Alaa Abd el-Fattah and his hunger strike. #SaveAlaa #FreeAlaa #COP27 https://t.co/5eqpN9RKvq

— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) November 7, 2022

Prior to this Sunak was taken off stage by his aides during an event alongside other world leaders.

Sunak has said previously that he will raise Alaa’s case with the Egyptian government at COP27 and in a letter to Alaa’s sister Sanaa the prime minister said he remains a priority for the British government.

READ: Alaa Abdelfattah, the jailed Egyptian-British dissident on hunger strike

Alaa was sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison on charges of “spreading false news” and has been on hunger strike since April to protest the conditions of his detention and to demand a visit from the British consulate.

For more than six months he has lived on a spoon of honey and a drop of milk in tea. At the beginning of this week Alaa began a thirst strike.

Jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has escalated his hunger strike by giving up water. He was sentenced to prison in 2019 for "spreading false news."

The United Kingdom and other governments at #COP27 should pressure Egypt to free all political prisoners. pic.twitter.com/o8k5cVQsBC

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) November 7, 2022

On Monday, Sanaa Seif landed in Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27 to help keep up the pressure on Egyptian and British authorities to secure her brother’s release.

Sanaa has said that she was at the UN climate summit to put pressure on all leaders, especially the British prime minister, to release her brother.

Sanaa herself has been imprisoned three times by the Egyptian government because of her efforts to release her brother.

Last week Sunak announced he would be attending COP27 after previously saying he was focused on the domestic economy and wouldn’t be attending.