Mother of British-Egyptian political prisoner goes on hunger strike

Laila Soueif has not eaten for much than 3 weeks and is past nan shape of emotion hungry.

In London to run for nan merchandise of her British-Egyptian son, Alaa Abdel Fattah, nan 68-year-old maths professor insists – stoically – that she’s “not emotion bad astatine all”.

She went connected hunger onslaught nan time aft what should person been nan extremity of his five-year situation condemnation – though his relatives, on pinch quality authorities groups, opportunity that he should ne'er person been successful situation astatine all.

Alaa Abdel Fattah is Egypt’s best-known governmental prisoner. A blogger, writer and outspoken pro-democracy activist, he has been successful jailhouse for astir of nan past decade.

His mother’s hunger onslaught – she’s surviving connected water, rehydration salts and sugarless beverage aliases java - is simply a motion of his family’s expanding desperation.

“I’m keeping it up until Alaa is free aliases I’m taken to infirmary successful a unspeakable state,” she tells me. “His life has been connected clasp for 11 years. It can’t spell on.”

Alaa Abdel Fattah was arrested successful September 2019, six months aft finishing a erstwhile five-year sentence.

He was convicted successful 2021 of spreading mendacious news, for sharing a Facebook station astir torture successful Egypt. The Egyptian authorities are refusing to count nan much than 2 years he spent successful pre-trial detention towards his clip served.

Although he acquired British citizenship successful 2021, Egypt has ne'er allowed him a consular visit.

In guidance 2 years ago, nan UK’s past protector overseas secretary, David Lammy, called for “serious negotiated consequences” if entree wasn’t granted instantly and Alaa Abdel Fattah was not freed.

But his family are profoundly disappointed pinch really nan existent government, and nan erstwhile one, person handled his case. They judge nan UK has much leverage pinch Egypt - a cardinal state - than it’s prepared to use.

“I’m not a fool. I don’t expect nan authorities to ruin billions of dollars' worthy of waste and acquisition deals for my son,” says Laila Souief, who lives successful Cairo but was calved successful London.

She does, however, expect Mr Lammy, now that he is overseas secretary, to put unit connected Egyptian ministers to return action, she says.

"At slightest don’t springiness them photograph opportunities for illustration nan 1 I saw precocious of David Lammy grinning receptor to receptor pinch nan Egyptian overseas secretary.”

A spokesperson for nan Foreign Office said: “Our privilege remains securing consular entree to Mr El-Fattah and his release. We proceed to raise his lawsuit astatine nan highest levels of nan Egyptian government.”

The family’s run has been supported by Richard Ratcliffe, who knows only excessively good what drives personification to spell connected hunger onslaught - arsenic he himself did for his wife, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

“We reached a constituent wherever we needed to do thing drastic to shingle nan government’s complacency, and punctual ministers they had a domiciled beyond waiting and wringing aliases washing their hands,” he tells maine of his family’s campaign.

“Alaa’s family will beryllium afloat alert that hunger strikes time off scars.”

Alaa Abdel Fattah’s ain hunger onslaught successful 2022, arsenic Egypt hosted nan UN ambiance conference, led to world unit for his merchandise and an betterment successful his conditions successful jail.

He is now allowed to publication books and watch sports connected TV. But he is “down astir of nan time” according to his mother, and despondent astir nan early and his chances of release.

He now only wants to time off Egypt to beryllium pinch his 13-year-old son, who is connected nan autism spectrum and attends a typical needs schoolhouse successful Brighton.

She says different countries person done deals allowing their citizens jailed successful Egypt to beryllium freed and deported if they springiness up their Egyptian nationality.

“He has nary wish to lead nan Egyptian guidance from Brighton,” she told me. “He’s going to beryllium excessively engaged pinch Khalid.”

As for her and her hunger strike, she says she wants to make herself a “headache” for some nan British and Egyptian governments. “That’s nan slightest of what I dream to achieve.”