Latest news with #British-Egyptian
Middle East Eye
12 hours ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Alaa Abd el-Fattah's mother at risk of ‘sudden death', doctor says
The mother of British-Egyptian prisoner Alaa Abd el-Fattah is facing the risk of 'sudden death' as her blood sugar level falls to dangerously low levels on the 244th day of her hunger strike. Laila Soueif, who began her hunger strike in protest at her son's continued imprisonment by the Egyptian authorities, was warned by doctors on Friday that even a 'slight further reduction' in her blood sugar could result in a 'rapid loss of consciousness' and 'sudden death'. Abd el-Fattah was a key figure in the 2011 Egyptian revolution that ousted then-president Hosni Mubarak and has spent the best part of a decade behind bars. On 29 September 2024, Abd el-Fattah was due to complete a five-year sentence for 'spreading false news', but the authorities failed to release him, refusing to count the two years he spent in pre-trial detention towards his sentence. Sine then, Soueif has not consumed any food. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Medical tests conducted at hospital revealed that Soueif's blood sugar dropped below 0.6 mmol/L on Thursday night – a level too low to be accurately measured. At the same time, her ketone levels, which indicate blood acidity, exceeded 7 mmol/L, suggesting a degree of acidosis that is also beyond the limits of medical detection. Since beginning her strike, the 69-year-old has lost 36kg – approximately 42 percent of her body weight – and now weighs just 49kg. Soueif's doctor has described her condition as a 'medical emergency' and warned that her death is an 'immediate risk'. The doctor added that, without urgent glucose treatment, she faces a 'clear risk' of irreversible damage to vital organs, including the heart, brain, and kidneys. The doctor further explained that Soueif's current blood sugar level is 'not typically compatible with consciousness,' and that her 'body's carbohydrate stores are essentially depleted'. They added that her body is now relying on its last reserves of fat to survive. 'We're losing her' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has repeatedly expressed his personal commitment to securing the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah. Soueif shifted to a partial hunger strike on 28 February, following a call between Starmer and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during which the prime minister reportedly 'pressed' Sisi to release Abd el-Fattah. But little has shifted since then. On 20 May, Soueif announced she would be stopping her intake of 300 calories a day. However, little progress has been made since. On 20 May, Soueif announced that she would cease consuming the 300 calories per day she had been allowing herself. 'Bottom line is we're losing her… there is no time. Keir Starmer needs to act now. Not tomorrow, not Monday. Now. Right now,' Soueif's daughter Sanaa Seif said in a press briefing outside St Thomas's hospital in London. 'It's a miracle that last night passed. It's a miracle that we still have her. I'm really, really proud of my Mum. And I want to remind Keir Starmer of his promise to us. We put our faith in him. Don't let us down, do something and do it today. Now.' Meanwhile, Abd el-Fattah has now reached the 92nd day of his own hunger strike from Wadi El-Natrun prison. On 12 April, he fell seriously ill, experiencing vomiting, severe stomach pain and dizziness. On Wednesday, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) concluded that Abd el-Fattah's continued imprisonment is unlawful, and that he should be released immediately under international law.
Channel 4
a day ago
- Health
- Channel 4
242-day hunger strike: Mother protests for son's prison release
The mother of a British-Egyptian activist jailed in Cairo has been admitted to hospital, a week after resuming a full hunger strike. Laila Soueif has not eaten any food for 242 days. She began the strike last September – on the day her son Alaa Abdel Fattah should have been released.
a day ago
- Health
Mother of jailed Egyptian democracy activist hospitalized after resuming hunger strike
LONDON -- The mother of a pro-democracy activist imprisoned in Egypt is seriously ill in a London hospital after resuming a hunger strike aimed at pressing for her son's release, her family said Friday. Laila Soueif was admitted to St Thomas's Hospital on Thursday night with dangerously low blood sugar levels. 'A couple of hours ago I thought we were going to lose her,' her daughter, Sanaa Souief, said outside the hospital. 'The bottom line is, we're losing her.' She added: '(Prime Minister) Keir Starmer needs to act now. Not tomorrow, not Monday, but right now.' Laila Soueif has been on hunger strike since Sep. 29 to protest the imprisonment of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a British-Egyptian dual national who has been in prison in Egypt since September 2019. He was sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison for spreading false news and should have been released last year, but Egyptian authorities refused to count the more than two years he had spent in pre-trial detention and ordered him held until January 2027. Laila Souief spent weeks camped outside Britain's Foreign Office and the prime minister's Downing Street office to highlight her son's case. She was previously admitted to hospital in February, with doctors warning she was at 'high risk of sudden death.' She agreed in early March to move to a partial hunger strike after Starmer pledged to press Egypt to release her son. She resumed her full hunger strike on May 20, saying: 'Nothing has changed, nothing is happening.' There was no immediate comment Friday from the British government. The family says Souief has lost 42% of her bodyweight during the 242-day hunger strike. They say she has received glucagon treatment, which induces the liver to break down stored fat to obtain glucose, but continues to refuse glucose, which would provide her with calories. Abdel-Fattah has been on his own hunger strike for 90 days following his mother's admission to hospital in February. Thousands of critics of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi have been locked up under dire conditions after unjust trials, human rights groups say.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Health
- Toronto Star
Mother of jailed Egyptian democracy activist hospitalized after resuming hunger strike
LONDON (AP) — The mother of a pro-democracy activist imprisoned in Egypt is seriously ill in a London hospital after resuming a hunger strike aimed at pressing for her son's release, her family said Friday. Laila Soueif was admitted to St Thomas's Hospital on Thursday night with dangerously low blood sugar levels. 'A couple of hours ago I thought we were going to lose her,' her daughter, Sanaa Souief, said outside the hospital. 'The bottom line is, we're losing her.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW She added: '(Prime Minister) Keir Starmer needs to act now. Not tomorrow, not Monday, but right now.' Laila Soueif has been on hunger strike since Sep. 29 to protest the imprisonment of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a British-Egyptian dual national who has been in prison in Egypt since September 2019. He was sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison for spreading false news and should have been released last year, but Egyptian authorities refused to count the more than two years he had spent in pre-trial detention and ordered him held until January 2027. Laila Souief spent weeks camped outside Britain's Foreign Office and the prime minister's Downing Street office to highlight her son's case. She was previously admitted to hospital in February, with doctors warning she was at 'high risk of sudden death.' She agreed in early March to move to a partial hunger strike after Starmer pledged to press Egypt to release her son. She resumed her full hunger strike on May 20, saying: 'Nothing has changed, nothing is happening.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW There was no immediate comment Friday from the British government. The family says Souief has lost 42% of her bodyweight during the 242-day hunger strike. They say she has received glucagon treatment, which induces the liver to break down stored fat to obtain glucose, but continues to refuse glucose, which would provide her with calories. Abdel-Fattah has been on his own hunger strike for 90 days following his mother's admission to hospital in February. Thousands of critics of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi have been locked up under dire conditions after unjust trials, human rights groups say.
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Mother of jailed Egyptian democracy activist hospitalized after resuming hunger strike
LONDON (AP) — The mother of a pro-democracy activist imprisoned in Egypt is seriously ill in a London hospital after resuming a hunger strike aimed at pressing for her son's release, her family said Friday. Laila Soueif was admitted to St Thomas's Hospital on Thursday night with dangerously low blood sugar levels. 'A couple of hours ago I thought we were going to lose her,' her daughter, Sanaa Souief, said outside the hospital. 'The bottom line is, we're losing her.' She added: '(Prime Minister) Keir Starmer needs to act now. Not tomorrow, not Monday, but right now.' Laila Soueif has been on hunger strike since Sep. 29 to protest the imprisonment of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a British-Egyptian dual national who has been in prison in Egypt since September 2019. He was sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison for spreading false news and should have been released last year, but Egyptian authorities refused to count the more than two years he had spent in pre-trial detention and ordered him held until January 2027. Laila Souief spent weeks camped outside Britain's Foreign Office and the prime minister's Downing Street office to highlight her son's case. She was previously admitted to hospital in February, with doctors warning she was at 'high risk of sudden death.' She agreed in early March to move to a partial hunger strike after Starmer pledged to press Egypt to release her son. She resumed her full hunger strike on May 20, saying: 'Nothing has changed, nothing is happening.' The family says Souief has lost 42% of her bodyweight during the 242-day hunger strike. They say she has received glucagon treatment, which induces the liver to break down stored fat to obtain glucose, but continues to refuse glucose, which would provide her with calories.
