Overview

• Laila Soueif, 69, has resumed a full hunger strike, consuming no calories, to demand the release of her imprisoned son, Alaa Abd el-Fattah.
• Soueif had previously eased her strike in March 2025 by taking a 300-calorie liquid supplement following UK diplomatic efforts but has now ceased this intake.
• Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist, remains detained in Egypt beyond his five-year sentence and is on his own 81-day hunger strike.
• The Egyptian government refuses to recognize Abd el-Fattah's British citizenship and denies consular access to UK officials.
• Soueif continues daily protests outside Downing Street, urging UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to prioritize her son’s release in diplomatic relations with Egypt.