Latest news with #SanaaSeif
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Hunger-striking mother of jailed activist prepared to die to ‘get Alaa out'
The mother of a British man jailed in Egypt has spoken from her hospital bed to say she is prepared to die on hunger strike if necessary to get her son freed. Laila Soueif called on the Prime Minister to pressure Egyptian authorities to release democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who has dual nationality. She said if she did not survive, her death should be used as a leverage to set her son free. Speaking to the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 from St Thomas' Hospital in London, Mrs Soueif said: 'My message is: use my death as leverage to get Alaa out. 'Don't let my death be in vain.' Mrs Soueif, who has lost 42% of her bodyweight and weighs 49kg, has not eaten for more than eight months and doctors say she is at risk of sudden death. She told the broadcaster: 'It's something that I passionately don't want to happen. 'Children want a mother, not a notorious mother – whether the notoriety is good or bad – but if that's what it takes to get Alaa out of jail and to get all my children and grandchildren's life back on track, then that's what I'm going to do.' In December 2021, Mr Abd El-Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of spreading false news, and should have been released last year. In a conference outside the hospital on Tuesday, Sanaa Seif, Mrs Soueif's daughter, said her mother's blood sugar was still very low but that she was conscious. She said: 'She is fighting and I hope the Foreign Office uses this time her body has given us well.' Mis Seif said she was supposed to have flown to Cairo on Tuesday to see her brother but stayed to be with her mother. She had received two letters from Mr Abd El-Fattah – one of which was 'very confused and short', saying simply 'Take care of yourself'. 'I am really worried about him,' she said. She also said she wanted to save her mother's life but understands her position 'as a mother'. Ms Seif said: 'The only reason she cares about staying alive is us. She doesn't want to go on living life like this and I understand that.' Ms Seif accused the Foreign Office of not working fast enough and claimed no one from the Prime Minister's office had been in touch directly about the state of negotiations for around three weeks. She said: 'We are going by the hour; they were measuring her vitals by the hour, at some point every 15 minutes. 'I expressed my frustration how it is insane that they (the Government) are taking weeks. They have not told me they have changed their pace.' Ms Seif added: 'I imagine that means they don't have much to say.' She also urged Foreign Secretary David Lammy to follow through on what he said when in opposition and limit the Egyptian ambassador's access to Whitehall. Conservative former minister Sir John Whittingdale, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Today programme Mr Abd El-Fattah was a 'political activist' who had not committed 'any crime that we would recognise'. He said Mr Lammy was 'outspoken' in opposition but that his action in Government since then 'simply hasn't had an effect'. Sir John also called on the Foreign Office to change its travel advice for Egypt to warn Britons there is a risk they could 'fall foul of the Egyptian authorities'. 'Egypt gets a huge income from tourism, a lot of that tourism comes from Britain and I think that might well put the pressure on that is obviously needed,' he said.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Jailed activist's mother says she is prepared to die on hunger strike as she reaches nearly 250 days
The mother of a British-Egyptian man imprisoned in Egypt has declared she is willing to die on hunger strike to secure his release. Laila Soueif, speaking from her hospital bed, urged the Prime Minister to intervene and pressure Egyptian authorities to free her son, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a pro-democracy activist with dual nationality. In an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme from St Thomas' Hospital in London, Mrs Soueif stated, "My message is: use my death as leverage to get Alaa out. Don't let my death be in vain." Mrs Soueif, who has been on hunger strike for over eight months, has lost 42% of her body weight, now weighing 49kg. Doctors have warned that she is at risk of sudden death. She told the broadcaster: 'It's something that I passionately don't want to happen. 'Children want a mother, not a notorious mother – whether the notoriety is good or bad – but if that's what it takes to get Alaa out of jail and to get all my children and grandchildren's life back on track, then that's what I'm going to do.' In December 2021, Mr Abd El-Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of spreading false news, and should have been released last year. In a conference outside the hospital on Tuesday, Sanaa Seif, Mrs Soueif's daughter, said her mother's blood sugar was still very low but that she was conscious. She said: 'She is fighting and I hope the Foreign Office uses this time her body has given us well.' Ms Seif said she was supposed to have flown to Cairo on Tuesday to see her brother but stayed to be with her mother. She had received two letters from Mr Abd El-Fattah – one of which was 'very confused and short', saying simply 'Take care of yourself'. 'I am really worried about him,' she said. She also said she wanted to save her mother's life but understands her position 'as a mother'. Ms Seif said: 'The only reason she cares about staying alive is us. She doesn't want to go on living life like this and I understand that.' Ms Seif accused the Foreign Office of not working fast enough and claimed no one from the Prime Minister's office had been in touch directly about the state of negotiations for around three weeks. She said: 'We are going by the hour; they were measuring her vitals by the hour, at some point every 15 minutes. 'I expressed my frustration how it is insane that they (the Government) are taking weeks. They have not told me they have changed their pace.' Ms Seif added: 'I imagine that means they don't have much to say.' She also urged Foreign Secretary David Lammy to follow through on what he said when in opposition and limit the Egyptian ambassador's access to Whitehall. Conservative former minister Sir John Whittingdale, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Today programme Mr Abd El-Fattah was a 'political activist' who had not committed 'any crime that we would recognise'. He said Mr Lammy was 'outspoken' in opposition but that his action in Government since then 'simply hasn't had an effect'. Sir John also called on the Foreign Office to change its travel advice for Egypt to warn Britons there is a risk they could 'fall foul of the Egyptian authorities'. 'Egypt gets a huge income from tourism, a lot of that tourism comes from Britain and I think that might well put the pressure on that is obviously needed,' he said.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Mother of jailed British-Egyptian activist hospitalised after 242 days on hunger strike
Jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah says he is "very worried" for his mother, who has been hospitalised after a 242-day hunger strike with family saying she is close to death. Laila Soueif began the protest against her son's detention in September 29 last year, the day he was expected to be released after completing a five-year prison sentence. She briefly eased to a partial hunger strike for two months, but resumed a full hunger strike more than a week ago. The 69-year-old was hospitalised on Thursday in London with "critically low" blood sugar, her family saying she is refusing glucose treatment. "Bottom line is, we're losing her, and … there is no time," daughter Sanaa Seif said. She urged UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to "act now, not tomorrow" to ensure Mr Abd el-Fattah's release, saying her mother is dying. "It's a miracle that we still have her," Ms Seif said. Mr Abd el-Fattah, 43, is Egypt's most high-profile and influential political prisoner. In 2019, he was arrested in Egypt and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of "spreading false news" after sharing a Facebook post about police brutality. In September last year, on the day he was due to be released, his mother began a full hunger strike, consuming only rehydration salts, tea without sugar, and vitamins. She was first hospitalised in February this year with dangerously low blood sugar and blood pressure, prompting Mr Abd el-Fattah to start his own hunger strike from jail. Ms Soueif eased her strike in February, consuming 300 calories a day, after Mr Starmer said he had "pressed" his Egyptian counterpart for her son's release. But on May 20, despite her family claiming she had lost more than 40 per cent of her body weight, Ms Soueif resumed her full hunger strike. Two days later, Mr Starmer's office said the prime minister had once again called the Egyptian president, pressing for Mr Abd el-Fattah's release. Mr Abd el-Fattah is aware his mother has been hospitalised for a second time, and wrote from his prison cell to say he's "very worried" for her. A United Nations panel of experts on Wednesday determined his detention was arbitrary and illegal and called for his immediate release. Peter Greste is an Australian reporter and executive director of the Alliance for Journalists' Freedom, and was jailed alongside Mr Abd el-Fattah in 2013. He has previously credited the political prisoner with "saving his life", saying Mr Abd el-Fattah helped him get through the darkest days of his 400-day incarceration in Cairo. Professor Greste said Mr Abd el-Fattah is enduring "brutally hot" temperatures in a non-air-conditioned prison cell, with "very little medical care" during his hunger strike. "And he's going to be under enormous psychological pressure because he knows his mother is also in a very, very precarious situation," Professor Greste said. He said it was crucial international governments also pressed for Mr Abd el-Fattah's release. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for much wider international support, so I really do hope the Australian government will step up and get involved," he said. ABC/AFP
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Laila Soueif: Jailed British-Egyptian activist's mother in hospital after 242-day hunger strike
The mother of a jailed British-Egyptian activist has been hospitalised after resuming a hunger strike to campaign for his release. Laila Soueif's daughter has implored Sir Keir Starmer to 'act now' after her mother was hospitalised on Thursday after resuming a full hunger strike on May 20. 'Keir Starmer needs to act now. Not tomorrow, not Monday. Now. Right now it's a miracle that last night passed. It's a miracle that we still have her,' Sanaa Seif said. Mrs Soueif has been refusing food for 242 days in protest against the imprisonment of her son, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British -Egyptian activist jailed for sharing a Facebook post about torture in Egypt. A spokesperson from the Foreign Office said: 'We are concerned to hear of Laila's hospitalisation. We remain in regular contact with Laila and her family and have checked on her welfare. We are committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah's release and continue to press this at the highest levels of the Egyptian government.'
