Laila Soueif, a 68-year-old mother on a 150-day hunger strike, has stated she is willing to end her protest if there is tangible progress from UK ministers in efforts to secure the release of her son, Alaa Abd el-Fattah. The British-Egyptian writer has been imprisoned in Cairo under the regime of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Soueif, who has been advocating for his release, was hospitalized on Monday after her hunger strike caused a dangerous drop in her blood sugar levels. Her doctor warned that continuing the fast puts her at imminent risk of death.
Soueif has been protesting outside Downing Street each weekday, hoping to keep her son’s case in the spotlight for UK authorities. Despite her deteriorating health, she has vowed to keep fighting for Abd el-Fattah, who completed his five-year prison sentence last September, including the two years of detention before his trial, in accordance with Egyptian law.
The Guardian reports that Soueif’s deteriorating condition underscores the growing urgency for the UK government to take meaningful action to bring her son home.
