The family of jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who is on hunger strike, say they have received proof he is alive.
His sister, Sanaa Seif, tweeted that he had written in a letter that he was drinking water again as of Saturday.
“He says he’ll say more as soon as he can. It’s definitely his handwriting. Proof of life, at last,” she added.
Abdel Fattah, 40, stopped drinking water on 6 November to pressure Egypt to allow him British consular access.
Last Thursday, his family said his mother had been told by officials at Wadi al-Natroun prison that he had undergone an unspecified “medical intervention with the knowledge of a judicial authority”.
His lawyer was also denied access to the prison on Thursday and Sunday despite being granted two permits by the prosecutor general.
Abdel Fattah, Egypt’s most prominent political prisoner, is currently serving a five-year sentence for allegedly “spreading false news”.
The UK, the UN and several other countries have called for his release.
