The mother of a jailed British-Egyptian activist has not had a meal for close to a month – a hunger strike that she hopes will lead to her son’s release before she starves to death. Laila Soueif, a 68-year-old maths professor born in London but who now lives in Cairo, is in the UK to call for Alaa Abdel Fattah’s release.
Fattah, 42, is one of Egypt’s most prominent pro-democracy voices and has spent much of the last decade in prison. In 2021, he was charged with spreading false news for sharing a Facebook post about torture in Egypt, having already spent more than two years in pretrial detention. He had also already served five years on similar charges between 2014 and 2019. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have decried the charges and called his trials a sham.
His mother has been on hunger strike since a day after Fattah’s second five-year sentence ended on 29 September without his release. The Egyptian government has justified keeping Mr Fattah in prison by claiming his pre-trial detention does not count towards his time served.
“I hope I won’t die in this attempt,” says Soueif during a sit down with The Independent, her daughter Sanaa Seif and Fattah’s cousin, Omar Robert Hamilton.
Denne historien er fra October 25, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 25, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kyrgios to return but keeps focus on Sinner and Swiatek
Nick Kyrgios just wants to speak his truth, man. He does, after all, have his own podcast to go along with his blue tick on X/Twitter, where he is not afraid to add a hot take or two to the big topics. It's hardly a new development.
Slot eyes strong second half as Reds dream of quadruple
Arne Slot did not use the word, though Jurgen Klopp became quite familiar with it.
Isak stars as Newcastle expose Arsenal's failings
A night that was about whether you could take your chances; for goals, and maybe for finals.
Britons splurge £13bn on festive fun – but inflation may leave a nasty hangover
UK retail outlet Next has posted another rise in sales ahead of expectations over the Christmas period, but warned that a price increase is on the cards for 2025 as it looks to overcome raised costs following last year's Budget.
Next posts rise in sales but warns of difficult year ahead
UK retail outlet Next has posted another rise in sales ahead of expectations over the Christmas period, but warned that a price increase is on the cards for 2025 as it looks to overcome raised costs following last year's Budget.
Carney failed to stop Brexit but hopes to save Canada
Mark Carney may enter the race to succeed Justin Trudeau as leader of Canada's Liberal Party.
Trump fails to rule out use of force to take Greenland
US president-elect Donald Trump has refused to rule out using military or economic action to pursue acquisition of the Panama Canal and Greenland.
At least 126 dead in Tibet after powerful earthquake
A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the foothills of the Himalayas yesterday near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, killing at least 126 people and flattening hundreds of houses and causing tremors felt in Nepal, Bhutan and India.
Far-right firebrand's ghost will loom large over Europe
The death of Jean-Marie Le Pen should give us a moment to ponder the long march of the French far right and the rise to power of fascistic parties across Europe.
French far-right political leader Le Pen dies at 96
Unrepentant bigot and Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen founded the National Front and fought for populist policies
