Laila Soueif, who has been on hunger strike for 117 days over the failure to secure Alaa Abd El-Fattah’s release from an Egyptian jail, called on the Prime Minister to intervene directly
A mum who is on hunger strike in a desperate bid to bring her imprisoned son home has warned Keir Starmer “time is running out”.
Laila Soueif, who has been taking the drastic action for 117 days in protest over her son Alaa Abd El-Fattah’s treatment, has voiced her frustration over the failure to secure his release. Pro-democracy activist Aala is being held in Egypt, even though he has served his full sentence and should have been released last year.
Ms Soueif, 68, warned on Friday that her “blood sugar levels are dropping”, adding: “I feel more tired every day”. Foreign Secretary David Lammy raised her son’s plight on a visit to Cairo this week, but Ms Soueif said she was devastated he did not bring him back to his family in Brighton.
The family has accused the PM of ignoring their pleas for intervention – urging him to speak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi directly. Ms Soueif said: “I have always said that ultimately it is the Prime Minister who must talk directly to President Sisi to secure Alaa’s freedom,” she said on Friday. There were hopes that Mr Lammy would bring Alaa back with him and reunite him with his son in Brighton, but it is clear this is not happening. I am devastated for my son and my grandson. They deserve to be together.
“But I have always said that ultimately it is the Prime Minister who must talk directly to President Sisi to secure Alaa’s freedom. Mr Starmer has not even deigned to reply to the letter I sent him over a week ago requesting a meeting. “The Prime Minister must know that time is running out. My blood sugar levels are dropping and I feel more tired every day. He needs to intervene to bring Alaa to his family in the UK before it is too late.”
Aala, 43, has been detained in Egypt since was sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of spreading false news. No 10 said his imprisonment had been a “focus” of Mr Lammy’s meetings with the Egyptian government as he visited the country on Thursday.
Aala’s sister Sanaa Seif said: “My family needs Keir Starmer to intervene and talk directly to President Sisi to free Alaa. Why is the Prime Minister ignoring our meeting request? Is the Prime Minister waiting until my mum is in hospital to pay attention to us?
“I’m told Alaa is a priority for the British government and I want to believe that but we need Keir Starmer to act now before it’s too late.”
Asked whether the Prime Minister would meet Ms Souief, a Number 10 spokesman said: “Obviously we will set out prime ministerial meetings in the usual way.” Asked whether he plans to respond to her letter, the official said: “I don’t have an update on that specific point … in terms of timelines, the Foreign Secretary raised this case a number of times with his counterpart, most recently in Saudi Arabia when he met the foreign minister of Egypt there.”
Asked whether Sir Keir had a message for Ms Soueif on the 117th day of her hunger strike, No 10 said there would be an “update in due course” after she wrote to the Prime Minister. “In terms of the Foreign Office, our officials remain in regular contact with her and her family to check on her welfare,” the spokesman said.