An Egyptian MP was removed from a news conference about jailed hunger striker Alaa Abd El-Fattah after he questioned whether the British-Egyptian was a political prisoner
Mr Darwish took the microphone and spoke at length in Arabic as he questioned why the family describes Mr Abd El-Fattah as a political prisoner and accused his family of resorting to foreign pressure to attack the Egyptian military.As Ms Seif tried to answer, he refused to give up the microphone and UN security escorted him away as he waved his finger in their face, saying:"You are here on Egyptian land, don't touch me.
Several world leaders have said they have asked the Egyptian authorities, including President Sisi, to let Mr Abd El-Fattah go. A spokeswoman for the UN's top human rights official, Volker Turk, said on Tuesday he had personally spoken to the authorities to appeal for his release, with the most recent time on Friday.
Mr Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said Mr Abd El-Fattah"is in great danger" and should be"urgently, immediately released". German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he raised the prisoner's fate with Mr el-Sissi on Tuesday, adding that"something needs to happen to make a release possible, so that the hunger striker doesn't die".