‘High Death Risk’ for UK-Egyptian Mother on Hunger Strike

• Feb 26, 2025

Doctor Warns of Imminent Danger as She Fasts to Secure Son’s Release

Laila Soueif, the 68-year-old mother of imprisoned British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, is in critical condition after nearly five months on hunger strike. Admitted to a London hospital on Monday, she is suffering from dangerously low blood sugar, blood pressure, and sodium levels, according to her family.

Despite being placed on a saline drip, Soueif has refused glucose treatment, maintaining her protest until her son’s release. A consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas' hospital has warned she faces a "high risk of sudden death" if she continues fasting.

"I have stressed the urgent need for her to stop the hunger strike or accept artificial glucose or nutrition to reduce the threat to her life," the letter from the consultant states. "However, she remains determined not to do so until her son’s case is resolved."

On Tuesday night, her sister, novelist Ahdaf Soueif, shared a photo of Laila sitting in a hospital bed beside her daughter, Mona Seif. "Just left Laila and Mona in St Thomas' Hospital," she posted on X. "We pray and push for locked doors to open, for Alaa and others unjustly held."

Since beginning her hunger strike in September, consuming only herbal tea, black coffee, and rehydration salts, Soueif has lost 35% of her body weight.

Her family is urging UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to personally intervene by calling Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to push for her son’s release.

"If Keir Starmer picks up the phone and speaks to President Sisi, I believe he can secure my brother’s release and save my mother’s life," said her other daughter, Sanaa Seif, in a statement on Wednesday morning. "He must make this call today. Every moment he delays increases the risk of my mother dying."

Earlier this month, Starmer met with Soueif and pledged to "do all that I can to secure the release of her son Alaa Abdel Fattah and reunite him with his family." He assured that the UK government would continue to raise the issue at the highest levels with Egyptian authorities.

Alaa Abdel Fattah’s Case

Alaa Abdel Fattah, a prominent pro-democracy activist and blogger, has been one of Egypt’s most well-known political prisoners. Arrested in September 2019—just six months after serving a previous five-year sentence—he was convicted in 2021 for "spreading false news" after sharing a Facebook post about torture in Egypt.

Despite his five-year sentence officially ending in September 2023, Egyptian authorities have refused to count the more than two years he spent in pre-trial detention as time served.

Although Abdel Fattah was granted British citizenship in 2021, Egypt has denied him consular visits from British diplomats. His own hunger strike in 2022, timed with Egypt’s hosting of a UN climate summit, led to global pressure for his release and slight improvements in his prison conditions.

Now, as his mother’s health deteriorates, his family is urgently calling for action before it is too late.