Egypt activist Alaa Abdel Fattah's mother Laila Soueif hospitalised amid hunger strike over son’s detention

Egyptian academic Laila Soueif has been hospitalised in London after her health deteriorated severely during a prolonged hunger strike protesting her son Alaa Abdel Fattah's continued imprisonment in Egypt.

The development has triggered a wave of public and international solidarity, with rights groups and public figures calling for his immediate release.

Doctors at the hospital treating Soueif reported a dangerously low level of blood glucose, placing her at risk of sudden death. The news has alarmed human rights organisations and prominent individuals both within Egypt and abroad.

In response, a group of former prisoners of conscience, journalists, and Egyptian academics launched a petition campaign demanding the immediate release of Abdel Fattah. Signatories argued that his continued detention serves only to damage the image of the Egyptian state.

"Releasing him would be a sign of the state’s maturity and its ability to respond to a critical human moment," they wrote.

A group of activists and supporters of the Abdel Fattah family also announced a symbolic 24-hour solidarity fast in support of Soueif and her demands. Meanwhile, a number of opposition parties, including the Popular Socialist Alliance and Bread and Freedom, issued statements holding the Egyptian authorities fully responsible for the worsening condition of Soueif, and called for the immediate release of Alaa Abdel Fattah and all prisoners of conscience.

They described Abdel Fattah’s continued imprisonment after the end of his sentence as a "flagrant violation of the law and constitution".

At the diplomatic level, tensions appear to be rising between Cairo and London.

British media reports, including from the The Guardian, have indicated that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ignored multiple attempts by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to contact him regarding the case.

These reports come amid repeated calls from international human rights organisations, particularly Amnesty International, urging Egypt to release the activist. So far, Egyptian authorities have remained officially silent.

The campaign for Soueif and her son has also gained significant momentum online. Hashtags such as #FreeAlaa and #SaveLaila have spread widely on social media, with thousands of users around the world sharing posts demanding an end to Abdel Fattah's "arbitrary detention" and warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe if Soueif's condition worsens.

Both Egyptian and international human rights groups have warned that Soueif's case could become a new tragic chapter in Egypt’s ongoing crisis over civil liberties. They are urging the government to take urgent humanitarian action.

"Releasing Alaa would not harm the state - on the contrary, it would earn it domestic and international respect," said one signatory of the petition.

"Laila Soueif is not asking for anything for herself; she is only demanding that the law be applied to her son."