The mother of British-Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who has been imprisoned in Egypt, has warned she will resume her hunger strike by the end of the month if no progress is made toward securing her son’s release. This follows her hospitalization after collapsing from 150 days of fasting in London. During the strike, which began on September 29, 2024, she consumed only herbal tea, black coffee, and rehydration salts. Doctors at Charing Cross Hospital warned she was on the brink of death.
In a poignant letter written during her hospitalization, she requested that her daughters be allowed to bring her body back to Cairo for burial beside her late husband, should she pass.
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who has already served over five years of his sentence, was not released last September, as Egyptian authorities did not count the two years he spent in pre-trial detention. He began his own hunger strike in prison on February 1, upon learning of his mother’s deteriorating condition.
There remains some hope for Alaa’s release, with discussions underway regarding a potential amnesty tied to the end of Ramadan on March 30, 2025. His case has drawn international attention, with calls for his release intensifying.
