Alaa Abdel Fattah's mother calls for Keir Starmer's help as hunger strike continues

A mother has been on hunger strike for 134 days to secure the release of her son from an Egyptian prison. She has pleaded with Sir Keir Starmer to continue pushing for her son's release, even if she tragically passes away in the "coming days." Her son, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a pro-democracy activist with both British and Egyptian citizenship, was originally scheduled for release in September 2024 but remains imprisoned.

Alaa Abd El-Fattah's mother, Laila Soueif, who was born in the UK, has been consuming only herbal tea, black coffee, and rehydration salts since beginning her hunger strike. Outside Downing Street, the visibly frail 68-year-old stated her concern that she is running out of time to secure her son's release and called on the Prime Minister to take action. A UK government spokesperson said ministers are "actively working on his case."

Alaa Abd El-Fattah was arrested in 2019 on charges of spreading false news, which human rights organizations have called spurious. He was convicted in 2021, and Egyptian authorities have refused to credit the more than two years he spent in pre-trial detention towards his sentence. "I want a personal guarantee from the Prime Minister that even if I die in the next few days, this case will not be shelved," Ms. Soueif told reporters outside the gates of Downing Street on Monday.

Despite Ms. Soueif's request to meet with the Prime Minister, activists claim Sir Keir Starmer has not responded to her request, although there has been correspondence between them. "We can't talk to the Prime Minister through newspapers," she told reporters, "I want him to see me." A UK government spokesperson stated: "The Prime Minister recently wrote to Laila Soueif to underline that the government across departments is working actively on his case and to set out that there is a potential route to progress, but this will take time."

The spokesperson said the UK government continues to raise his case at the "highest levels" of the Egyptian government, including with President Sisi and the Foreign Minister. Ms. Soueif stated that her weight has drastically decreased in a short period due to the hunger strike. Activists claim she has lost 28.3 kilograms, approximately one-third of her initial body weight. They also stated that Ms. Soueif was taken to the emergency room at St Thomas' Hospital in London in early February after her blood sugar and blood pressure dropped to "worryingly low levels."

"In the last four days, my weight loss has been quite dramatic," Ms. Soueif said, "I'm losing about half a kilo every day. So I'm really not feeling very good. I'm still standing, which I think is something of a miracle." She stated that it is crucial for Sir Keir Starmer to speak directly with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. "Someone has to persuade Mr. Sisi to give the green light to the procedure to release Alaa. The only person who can do that is Mr. Starmer, the Prime Minister. I certainly don't think we have very much time. I don't have time."