Dr. Laila Soueif, 69, is a mathematician, a university professor, and the mother of one of Egypt’s most prominent activists, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who has spent most of the past 14 years behind bars since taking part in Egypt’s 2011 pro-democracy uprising.
She has not eaten any food since September 29, 2024, when her son was supposed to be released after completing his unjust sentence. She is calling on the U.K. government to help release her son, who has both British and Egyptian citizenship.
Dr. Soueif was admitted to London's St Thomas' Hospital on Thursday, May 29, with dangerously low blood sugar levels. She has lost about 42% of her body weight since September 2024.
“It's a miracle mom is alive. At some point [last night] the blood sugar machine was not reading, but my mum is still conscious. She's holding on,” said Sanaa Seif, daughter of Dr. Laila Soueif.
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, 42, is a British-Egyptian writer, software developer, and activist who played a leading role in Egypt’s 2011 revolution. He has spent the majority of the past decade in prison and was most recently re-arrested in 2019 amid a widespread crackdown and sentenced to five years in prison on bogus charges of “spreading false news” for sharing a Facebook post about torture in Egyptian prisons.
Alaa has been subjected to beatings, torture, and other ill-treatment. According to Amnesty, for the past five years, prison authorities have denied him fresh air, sunlight, and access to his lawyer and consular visits.
Authorities refused to release him on September 29, 2024, when his unjust five-year sentence was up, as they did not count the two years he had spent in pre-trial detention, violating international legal norms and Egypt’s criminal law.
In March, after a call between the U.K.’s prime minister and Egypt’s dictator, she shifted to a partial hunger strike. On May 20, she resumed a full hunger strike, saying: “Nothing has changed, nothing is happening.” Her son Alaa has been on his own hunger strike since his mother’s admission to hospital in February.
Since the 2013 military coup, Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rule has been marked by severe repression and widespread human rights abuses.
Egypt now holds the highest number of political prisoners in the region, with over 60,000 political prisoners, many of whom are confined to filthy cells, tortured routinely, and denied life-saving medication.
Thousands face enforced disappearances, prolonged detention without trial, mass death sentences, and prosecution in military courts. To manage this influx, the Egyptian government has built dozens of new prisons and jails in the past decade.
Take Action NOW to #FreeAlaa and #SaveLaila
Urge the U.K. government to act now to free its citizen Alaa and save his mother’s life!