On Tuesday 22 October (7-9pm), Amnesty International UK will host an in-conversation event at its east London offices with the family of Alaa Abdel Fattah, the UK national arbitrarily detained in Egypt.

Mona Seif, Abdel Fattah’s sister, will be in conversation with Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive. 

The event comes shortly before the publication of a new edition of Abdel Fattah’s acclaimed book You Have Not Yet Been Defeated: Selected Works 2011-2021, which is set to be republished in a special new edition on 24 October by Fitzcarraldo Editions.

There will be readings from the book by the British-Palestinian writer Selma Dabbagh, as well as an audience question-and-answer session.

Abdel Fattah, 42, a prominent blogger and writer who has been in detention in Egypt since September 2019, has already served his five-year jail sentence on trumped-up charges of “spreading false news” after a grossly unfair trial. Recently, the family was told by the Egyptian authorities that they will not consider releasing Abdel Fattah until January 2027. 

The in-conversation event and publication of a new edition of You Have Not Yet Been Defeated are part of an ongoing campaign to secure Abdel Fattah’s release.

You Have Not Yet Been Defeated comprises a selection of Abdel Fattah’s speeches, interviews, social media posts and essays since the Egyptian revolution in January 2011, many written from his jail cell. The book, which has a foreword by Naomi Klein, will be available for sale on the evening.

The event will be followed by an informal drinks reception. Attendance is free but booking is required via Eventbrite.  

Event details

What: in-conversation event with family of Alaa Abdel Fattah and Sacha Deshmukh ahead of a new edition of You Have Not Yet Been Defeated, with readings from the book by Selma Dabbagh

Where: Amnesty International UK’s office, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA

When: Tuesday 22 October 2024, 19:00-21:00