UK “deeply concerned” over health of mother of jailed activist in Egypt

The British government has voiced serious concern over the health of Laila Soueif, the mother of jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, as calls intensify for his release, Reuters reports.

Soueif, hospitalized last week, had been on a prolonged hunger strike and staging daily protests outside the Egyptian prime minister’s office to demand her son’s freedom.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy reportedly raised the issue directly with Egyptian officials on Sunday, stressing the urgency of Abd el-Fattah’s case.

“The government is absolutely committed to Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s release,” Lammy said, adding that the UK will maintain pressure through continued high-level engagement with Egypt.

Abd el-Fattah, a prominent democracy activist, was arrested in September 2019 and spent two years in pre-trial detention before receiving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly spreading false information and threatening national security. The charges stemmed from a Facebook post in which he commented on the death of another prisoner.

A recent UN inquiry deemed Abd el-Fattah’s detention both arbitrary and unlawful.

Soueif has said she is willing to sacrifice her life to secure her son’s freedom.