Mum ‘prepared to die’ after 130 days of hunger strike for imprisoned son

Laila Soueif, 68, has been sitting extracurricular 10 Downing Street for 130 days connected a hunger strike.

She is simply a mother who is trying to triumph freedom for her lad who has spent 5 years successful a situation successful Egypt.

Laila has consumed thing but herbal tea, achromatic java and rehydration salts during her clip extracurricular the gates of power.

Alaa Abd el-Fattah, her son, is accused of ‘spreading mendacious news’ connected social media which included ‘liking’ a Facebook station describing torture successful Egyptian prisons.

He was sentenced to 5 years successful situation successful September 2019 and was owed to beryllium released successful September 2024.

But Egyptian authorities refused to number the much than 2 years helium had spent successful pre-trial detention and ordered him held until January 3, 2027.

Laila said: ‘The large bulk of mothers are prepared to dice for their children; it conscionable takes antithetic forms.

‘Most mothers, if their children are successful existent danger, you’re prepared to die.

‘Nobody should beryllium imprisoned for code oregon penning — nobody,’ she said.

‘People, peculiarly radical successful countries that unreal to beryllium democracies and that abide by the regularisation of law, should not let this benignant of thing.’

Alaa took portion successful the 2011 uprising that toppled erstwhile President Hosni Mubarak and is 1 of the country’s astir salient pro-democracy activists.

He besides went connected hunger onslaught erstwhile Egypt hosted the COP27 clime league – a onslaught which ended successful him losing consciousness and being brought astir again with water.

Laila is calling connected the authorities to enactment unit connected Egypt due to the fact that Alaa has some British and Egyptian citizenship.

She said: ‘Now that Donald Trump has upset the full world, they really request allies…

‘So, successful fact, I deliberation it’s clip for the Egyptian authorities to look to its European allies and to its allies among the Egyptian people. Freeing different governmental prisoners successful Egypt would beryllium a bully happening to bash close now.’

It is not conscionable Alaa who has been a victim, thousands of others person been imprisoned successful Egypt for their disapproval of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

As galore arsenic 60,000 governmental prisoners are down bars successful Egypt, according to Human Rights Watch.

This is contempt El-Sisi telling US quality programme ’60 Minutes’ successful 2019 that the state had nary governmental prisoners.

Senior researcher from Human Rights Watch Amr Magdi said: ‘What we are seeing nether (el-Sissi’s) authorities is that this benignant of repression is endless. It’s relentless.’

A spokesperson for Egypt’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a petition for remark connected Alaa’s continued detention, according to AP.

The Foreign Office said successful a statement: ‘Our precedence remains securing the merchandise of Mr (Abd el-Fattah) truthful that helium tin beryllium reunited with his family.’

Laila added: ‘I’m going connected until either Alaa is released oregon I collapse. And I don’t cognize however agelong that volition be.’

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