Starmer urged to intervene in bid to free Alaa Abd El-Fattah from Egyptian jail

Sir Keir Starmer indispensable intervene successful the lawsuit of a dual nationalist who is imprisoned successful Egypt, his parent has said 58 days into a hunger strike.

Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a 43-year-old British-Egyptian pro-democracy writer, was sentenced to 5 years successful situation aft being accused of spreading mendacious quality successful December 2021.

Based connected his sentence, helium should person been released successful September but remains down bars, according to the Free Alaa run which is calling for his release.

I americium not astir to interruption my hunger onslaught until Alaa is released

Laila Soueif

His 68-year-old parent Laila Soueif is present 58 days into a hunger onslaught successful protestation implicit his continued imprisonment successful Egypt.

At a property league successful cardinal London connected Wednesday, Mrs Soueif said she hoped her connection got done to Mr Lammy.

“My main connection was I americium connected hunger strike, I americium not astir to interruption my hunger onslaught until Alaa is released,” she said.

Mrs Soueif said it was a “lucky break” she had not yet collapsed, not conscionable for her ain sake, but to spare the Foreign Secretary and the Egyptian authorities embarrassment.

She added: “I deliberation Mr Lammy did judge my claim. In that consciousness astatine slightest I deliberation this was not a wasted meeting, and we volition spot however things spell from there.

“I americium inactive waiting for factual results. I inactive judge that determination is thing that the contiguous British Government tin achieve.”

Mrs Soueif said she did not hold with suggestions from Mr Lammy that navigating a cautious narration with the Egyptian authorities due to the fact that of its power successful Gaza had a bearing connected her son’s case.

And she added that successful a script wherever a “final push” was needed to get her lad retired of prison, Sir Keir would request to beryllium involved.

Mrs Soueif told the property conference: “Since everyone is telling america that this is simply a idiosyncratic contented with (Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-) Sisi, past surely the idiosyncratic to propulsion for an extremity to this idiosyncratic contented is the Prime Minister.

“It is not going to beryllium resolved connected a ministerial level, it has to beryllium the Prime Minister.”

On her ain health, she told the PA quality bureau she felt “semi normal” contempt astir 2 months without food.

“How agelong that volition last, deity knows,” Mrs Soueif added.

She had earlier told reporters: “I americium inactive connected hunger strike, I americium remaining connected hunger strike. I judge that it is imaginable to get this done, and to get this done quickly.

“That is what I americium betting on. I americium betting connected that with my wellness and my beingness and arsenic I person been saying we person each been fixed this break.

“Let’s usage it earlier we suffer it, due to the fact that if I collapse, evidently that is precise atrocious for maine and my household and atrocious for Alaa but besides it is going to beryllium precise embarrassing for some the British and Egyptian governments and we truly shouldn’t get there.”

Speaking successful the Commons connected Tuesday, Mr Lammy said helium was determined to “see Alaa reunited with his family”.

In reply to a question astir Mr El-Fattah’s situation, helium added: “With the unspeakable concern successful Gaza, it is important that this Government continues to talk to our Egyptian friends who person evidently existent proximity to Gaza particularly.

“But I recognize the spot of feeling and that’s wherefore the Prime Minister’s raised this, I person raised this connected successive occasions, and we volition proceed to lobby – he’s a dual nationalist – we volition proceed to lobby connected his behalf.”