In brief
Laila Soueif, mother of political prisoner Alaa Abd El Fattah, continues her hunger strike to demand action for her son's release from Egyptian detention.
Laila Soueif, a British-born Egyptian mathematician and professor, is currently enduring her hunger strike, which reached a staggering 55 days as of Saturday. Her protests began on September 29, after learning that her son, Alaa Abd El Fattah, one of Egypt’s most recognized political prisoners, would not be released after serving a five-year sentence. Authorities in Egypt informed him that the two years he spent in pretrial detention would not count towards his sentence, resulting in his projected release being pushed back to 2027—his family remains anxious that he may be imprisoned indefinitely. The situation highlights the broader context of a crackdown on dissent by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has been in power since a military coup in 2013, during which tens of thousands of political prisoners have been jailed, according to human rights organizations. Laila Soueif, who is now 68 years old, states her commitment to the hunger strike, surviving solely on water, rehydration salts, and sugarless tea and coffee, until her son's freedom is secured. “I won’t back down and I will be very visible,” Ms. Soueif declared in an interview in London. “When people ask, ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ I say, ‘I’m creating a crisis.’” Her efforts aim not only to draw attention to her son’s plight but also to encourage the U.K. government to take a more active role in seeking his release and addressing the issue of political prisoners in Egypt.
