The resumption of a hunger strike by the Egyptian mother of Alaa Abd el-Fattah highlights the complexity of cases involving dual nationals detained abroad, often caught between diplomatic and human rights concerns.
Laila Soueif, mother of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, announced that she has resumed a full-scale hunger strike to protest her son’s continued detention in Egypt.
The 69-year-old has made a direct appeal to British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to intervene for his release.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street in London, Ms. Soueif clarified that she has stopped taking the 300-calorie liquid supplement she had been taking since February, following an exchange between the British Prime Minister and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
To date, she has been on hunger strike for 233 days and lost 36 kg, or 42 percent of her initial weight.
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a key figure in the 2011 revolution and human rights defender, has been detained in Egypt for several years on charges related to his activism.
Despite his dual nationality, his demands for his release, echoed by NGOs and British parliamentarians, have been unsuccessful.
Keir Starmer assured earlier this year that he would continue to do “everything in his power” to secure Abd el-Fattah’s release, but no concrete progress has been made since.
This lack of results has led Laila Soueif to harden her stance once again.
SL/ac/Sf/fss/as/APA