The family of imprisoned activist and writer Alaa Abd El-Fattah received a letter from him today in the first proof of life since October 31. El-Fattah stopped drinking water on November 6, at the start of COP27, after already being on a hunger strike for seven months protesting his imprisonment. In the letter, dated Saturday, November 12, El-Fattah said he began drinking water again on that day. He also said his vital signs are “ok” and that he was receiving medical care. In response, El-Fattah’s sister Sanaa Seif said, “We’re relieved to see proof of life, I can sleep today without nightmares. But we want this to be over, our family deserves a break, we need to be reunited in peace.” Meanwhile, El-Fattah’s lawyer was denied entry to the prison today for the third time despite receiving permission from the prosecutor’s office.

El-Fattah’s plight has received intensified attention over the past week with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and U.S. President Joe Biden all raising his case in their meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.