Mother of Alaa Abdel-Fattah vows to continue hunger strike until his release

The mother of jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has vowed to continue her hunger strike until the UK government secures his release.

Laila Soueif had paused her strike in March amid signs that the government was putting more pressure on Cairo to free her son. Two months later there is little sign of Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi agreeing to his release, and on Tuesday she resumed her hunger strike.

Since then, she has held protests outside 10 Downing Street for one hour a day to demand action from the UK government.

Two days later, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer again raised the issue with the Egyptian president in a phone call.

"The prime minister pressed for the urgent release of British national Alaa Abdel-Fattah so that he can be reunited with his family. He underlined how important it is to him to bring an end to the anguish Alaa and his family have faced," 10 Downing Street said in a statement.

"It is clear from the statement issued by the British prime minister that he demanded the release of Alaa in a stronger manner than before," she told Al Araby Al Jadeed, the Arabic-language sister site of The New Arab.

How the Egyptian government responded is unclear, she said, noting that that the statement put out by Sisi's office made no mention of Abdel Fattah.

Soueif, 69, was recently granted two prison visits to see her son, who has spent most of the past 14 years in police detention or prison on terror charges.

Abdel Fattah, a major opposition figure during the 2011 revolution and vocal critic of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, was first sentenced to five years in prison in 2014.

He was rearrested less than a year after his release for "spreading false news" and handed another five-year jail sentence.

Egyptian authorities were supposed to release him in September but now say he will remain behind bars until 2027.

Soueif, a mathematician and activist, began her hunger strike on 29 September 2024 and held daily protests outside Downing Street.

In February she was hospitalised in London with dangerously low blood sugar and blood pressure, and was given a glucose drip.

Addressing her health, Soueif told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the solidarity of people in the UK and in the Arab world was getting her through.

"God is still with me and I am still standing on my feet," she said.

She stressed that "the strong solidarity gives me tremendous energy here in London, but the solidarity I saw in Egypt affected me greatly, despite the risk involved in showing solidarity with me there".

"What affects me most and strengthens my resolve are the messages of solidarity I receive from the Gaza Strip, Palestine in general, Syria, and countries going through circumstances we have never seen before."

"Physically I have become weaker, but morally I am excellent," she added.