Jailed Egypt activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah's "life at acute risk" as he rejects food, water during COP27

The head of the United Nations human rights office called on Tuesday for the immediate release of prominent Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who has been refusing all food and water since the start of the COP27 climate conference on Sunday.

Alaa "is in great danger," Volker Türk said, according to the Associated Press. "His dry hunger strike puts his life at acute risk."

As spokesman for his office said the U.N. had last raised the issue of Alaa's health with the Egyptian authorities on Friday, and that they were calling for him "to be urgently, immediately released."