Laila Soueif Resumes Full Hunger Strike to Free Son Alaa Abdel Fattah

Mother of Jailed British-Egyptian Activist Risks Death in Ongoing Hunger Strike

Laila Soueif, a 69-year-old British-Egyptian lecturer, is maintaining her hunger strike in London despite her ailing health. She is also calling for the release of her son, Alaa Abdel Fattah, Egypt's best known political prisoner, who is still behind bars in Cairo. Since she began refusing solid food in February, doctors warned, she has up to eight months before sudden death could occur.

"No Alternative" But to Continue Hunger Strike
Soueif started her hunger strike in September 2024, when her son was scheduled to be freed following a five-year-sentence. But Egyptian officials declined to credit his pre-trial detention as time served. She reluctantly began supplementing with 300 liquid calories a day earlier this year, but restarted a full strike on May 20 when things had not changed.

In an interview from her bedside at a hospital in London, where she was being treated for the virus, Soueif said she "desperately wants to live," but would be ready to die so long as it results in her son's freedom. Her daughter, Sanaa Seif, said that Soueif was in a critical condition, and that her levels of glucose are now so low, they cannot be measured. "Her eyes actually should be frozen shut now, nobody knows how she's still awake," she said.

Pressure From U.S. Government and Calls From Abroad
A well-known Egyptian pro-democracy activist who is also a British citizen, Mr Abdel Fattah has spend much of the last decade in jail in Egypt, for his part in the 2011 protests. He had been most recently released from detention after posting on Facebook about a prisoner's death in detention after torture. Earlier on Tuesday, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention urged Kony to be released immediately, stating he was in prison for exercising his right to freedom of expression.

Despite repeated demands from British officials, including Keir Starmer, the then prime minister, and the foreign secretary, David Lammy, Egypt has not permitted UK consular access to Alaa. His family suspect Egyptian authorities are using him as an example to other students. "He should have been released on the 29 September," Soueif said. "He served his time for God's sake."

Soueif's hunger strike has brought international attention to the wider issue of political prisoners in Egypt, as well as problems confronting British nationals held in foreign prisons. Her family is trying to turn her death into action. "Take advantage of my death to get Alaa out," she added.