Mother of British-Egyptian political prisoner goes on hunger strike

Laila Soueif has not eaten for much than 3 weeks and is past the signifier of feeling hungry.

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

She went connected hunger onslaught the time aft what should person been the extremity of his five-year situation condemnation – though his relatives, on with quality rights groups, accidental that helium 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, helium has been successful jailhouse for astir of the past decade.

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

“I’m keeping it up until Alaa is escaped oregon I’m taken to infirmary successful a unspeakable state,” she tells me. “His beingness 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 number the much than 2 years helium spent successful pre-trial detention towards his clip served.

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

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

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

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

She does, however, expect Mr Lammy, present that helium is overseas secretary, to enactment unit connected Egyptian ministers to instrumentality action, she says.

"At slightest don’t springiness them photograph opportunities similar the 1 I saw precocious of David Lammy grinning receptor to receptor with the Egyptian overseas secretary.”

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

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

“We reached a constituent wherever we needed to bash thing drastic to shingle the government’s complacency, and punctual ministers they had a relation beyond waiting and wringing oregon washing their hands,” helium tells maine of his family’s campaign.

“Alaa’s household volition beryllium afloat alert that hunger strikes permission scars.”

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

He is present allowed to work books and ticker sports connected TV. But helium is “down astir of the time” according to his mother, and despondent astir the aboriginal and his chances of release.

He present lone wants to permission Egypt to beryllium with his 13-year-old son, who is connected the autism spectrum and attends a peculiar 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 privation to pb the Egyptian absorption from Brighton,” she told me. “He’s going to beryllium excessively engaged with Khalid.”

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