Keir Starmer Faces Pressure to Secure Release of British-Egyptian Activist as Mother's Hunger Strike Reaches Critical Stage

Laila Soueif, hospitalized after 150 days of fasting, demands UK intervention for her son Alaa Abd El-Fattah’s release from Egyptian detention.

Laila Soueif, 68, was hospitalized in London after her hunger strike caused dangerously low blood sugar, blood pressure, and sodium levels.
Soueif began her hunger strike in September 2024 to protest the continued detention of her son, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist.
Alaa Abd El-Fattah, sentenced to five years in 2021 for spreading 'false news,' has reportedly faced torture and denial of consular access during his imprisonment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to do everything possible for Abd El-Fattah’s release, including raising the case with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and at the UN Human Rights Council.
Soueif’s family has urged Starmer to directly call President Sisi, emphasizing the urgency as her health deteriorates and her protest continues.