Mother of imprisoned British-Egyptian vows to continue hunger strike

The mother of a British-Egyptian activist blogger imprisoned in Egypt told British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Wednesday that she would continue a two-month hunger strike until his release.

Laila Soueif, 68, who has not eaten for 59 days, met Britain’s new top diplomat for the first time to plead her case to the British government to do more to secure the release of her son, Alaa Abdel Fattah.

The pro-democracy and rights activist was arrested by Egyptian authorities in September 2019 and sentenced to five years in prison for “spreading false news” in a Facebook post about torture in Egyptian prisons.

His family and press defenders, including Reporters Without Borders, say he should have been released this year after serving his sentence, given the time spent in pre-trial detention.

They campaigned on his case for a long time, insisting that it was “fake” and that he had not received a fair trial.

“I am still on hunger strike, and I remain on hunger strike,” Soueif, flanked by her two daughters, told reporters after the trio met with Lammy earlier on Wednesday.

“It is possible to achieve this and to achieve it quickly. That’s what I’m betting on. I’m betting on it with my health and my life.”

Fattah, 43, was a key figure in the 2011 revolt that toppled Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak and was granted British citizenship in 2022 through his British-born mother.

She began a hunger strike – making do with water, tea, coffee and rehydration sachets three times a day – at the end of September, and told AFP last week that she saw no further problems. ‘other outcome.

On Wednesday, Soueif said she had stressed during her meeting with Lammy that it would be “very, very embarrassing for the British and Egyptian governments” if she started to collapse.

“He’s serious,” she said of Lammy, who became foreign minister in July. “I think he understood that this issue cannot be left aside, at least as long as I hold on.”

Lammy was questioned by fellow MPs on Tuesday about the government’s approach to the Fattah case, despite claiming to prioritize trade and diplomatic relations.

He pledged to “continue to lobby on his behalf”, while emphasizing the importance of relations between London and Cairo in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and, in particular, the Gaza Strip neighbor.

Lammy said Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the issue with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in August, while he spoke about it with his Egyptian counterpart earlier this week.