Starmer playing Russian roulette with jailed Briton's life, family claims
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of playing 'Russian roulette' with the lives of a British citizen illegally detained in Egypt and his mother.
Laila Soueif, 69, began refusing food in September after her son, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, remained imprisoned in Cairo despite completing a jail sentence. Doctors now warn she is on the brink of death.
'It feels like the Government is playing Russian roulette with my mother and brother's life,' said his sister Mona, speaking to The Telegraph from a café opposite St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster, where Ms Soueif is being treated.
Her sister Sanaa, speaking from Cairo, said both the Prime Minister and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egypt's president, would have 'blood on their hands' if her mother died before her brother was freed. 'We're not even asking Egypt for a favour, he's a British citizen. Does his passport mean nothing?' she added.
Mr El-Fattah, a British citizen who is also on hunger strike, was jailed in 2019 for sharing a Facebook post about the death of an inmate. A UN panel has found his continued imprisonment to be illegal and arbitrary.
Sanaa said her brother was 'really anxious' about their mother's condition and described him as a 'hostage'. 'He's being used as a negotiating card by both governments. He's finished his sentence, Egypt is not even giving any legal argument to keep him.'
The Foreign Office insists it is 'committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah's release', and said David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, raised the case again last week. However, Sir Keir is seemingly unable to convince Mr El-Sisi, who has reportedly ignored his calls since May 22.
Mona said: 'If you ask me personally, David Lammy on his own, Keir Starmer on his own, are both invested in the wellbeing of my family. But has this transferred into action? No. It hasn't led to any tangible change in Alaa's condition in prison.'
She accused the Foreign Office of working 'against' families. 'The way the Foreign Office works – especially under this Labour Government – it doesn't feel like it is working with you.'
Speaking from her hospital bed, Ms Soueif urged the Prime Minister to act fast: 'Mr Starmer, both Alaa and I are now in danger. Please get a result and get it quickly. We do not have weeks any more, we are lucky to have days.'
Mr El-Fattah, a prominent writer and activist, had served previous time in prison before being re-arrested in 2019 and sentenced to three years in 2021.
Shortly after his arrest in 2019, he was transferred to Egypt's notorious Tora maximum security prison, where he was blindfolded, stripped of his clothing, and beaten, according to Amnesty International.
One police officer allegedly told him that prison was 'made for people like you' and that he would be there for the rest of his life.
Sanaa, who visited her brother twice on her visit to Cairo, said her brother had received better treatment where he is currently being held, the Wadi el-Natrun Prison, a massive jail complex north of the Egyptian capital.
'I saw him behind a glass shield, he's lost a lot of weight. He looked weaker but at least he says he feels OK. The doctors are testing his blood sugars,' she explained.
Mr El-Fattah's sentence expired in September 2024 – which was when Ms Soueif began her hunger strike.
For months, she survived on black tea, black coffee and rehydration salts. In February, she began taking 300 liquid calories a day after Sir Keir personally called on Egypt to release her son. She resumed her full hunger strike on May 20 and was readmitted to hospital days later.
Doctors say she has refused glucose treatment, and her blood sugar dropped so low last week it was undetectable. 'I don't think any of us thought she could continue this far,' said Mona. 'This is why I feel extra angry with both governments.'
Fiona O'Brien, UK director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said the Government had multiple levers it could use to pressure Egypt into action, such as changing travel advice.
'British tourists should know they could be arrested for sharing something online in Egypt, and that they won't get any consular visits.'
She urged ministers to consider sanctions or to refer Egypt to the International Court of Justice. 'Alaa is absolutely a hostage now… the world is watching to see what Britain is going to do,' she said.
A Government spokesman said: 'We are committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah's release. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have stressed the urgency of the situation in calls with their counterparts recently and further engagement at the highest levels of the Egyptian government continues.
'We are deeply concerned by Laila's hospitalisation. We remain in regular contact with Laila's family and have checked on her welfare.'
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