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UK Urged to Secure Release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah as His Hunger-Striking Mother Fights for Life

Her critical health at St Thomas’ Hospital underscores the diplomatic urgency after the UN found his continued detention unlawful.

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Laila Soueif, mother of jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, poses for a portrait during a hunger strike to protest against her son’s detention in Egypt, outside Downing Street in London, Britain, January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo
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Overview

  • Laila Soueif is in critical condition at St Thomas’ Hospital after 247 days without food and doctors warn of irreversible organ damage and sudden death.
  • The UN has ruled that Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s detention is arbitrary under international law and called for his immediate release.
  • Abd el-Fattah has been held in Wadi El Natrun prison despite finishing his five-year “spreading false news” sentence in September 2024 and over a decade of imprisonment.
  • Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have lobbied Egyptian counterparts at the highest levels, though the family says UK efforts have yet to secure progress.
  • Celebrities including Brian Cox, Mark Ruffalo and Bill Nighy, alongside over 100 UK parliamentarians, have urged the government to deploy tougher measures to win his freedom.